Hello Again!!

Did you miss me when I was gone?

I missed you.

We had/have some pretty big happenings going on right now, and to be honest, at one time it was all I could do just to get out of bed
or breath
or even function
so my blog took a really sad back burner to everything.

Here I am trying to really quick catch you up on what happened in our lives since September.

We started school really successfully.  We love having neighbours who also homeschool because it sure makes our co-op classes fun!  This has been a great year for school.  Busy, but great.

While navigating school, we also needed to harvest our garden.  We got some super yummy stuff, and even managed to save seeds off things like tomatoes (above), peppers, tomatillos, and squash.

We also had a super yummy fondue with our friends.  Fried food.  Really, what could be better?!

Speaking of food....

DH is the YM president here in our branch, so for an activity he had the YM come out to harvest some chickens, ducks, a goat, and a goose.  All but 2 went in my freezer to feed my family this winter.  Those 2 fed the YM some super yummy tacos.

Then we had another harvest of chicken.  We have had 4 this year.  It feels good to know what my family is eating and to know that the animals are dealt with in a humane manner, and are loved and respected.

Plus home grown meat just tastes better!

We also had the super awesome experience in October to be part of our neighbours baptism.  What a special experience to go through the discussions and baptism with them!  It is amazing to be with them as they learn and grow.

We also acquired a puppy.  She has grown since this photo, but she used to be so little.  She is still just as bad though.  Eating my dresses is sport to her...they blow around so therefore are game!

And because we weren't busy enough, on October 30th we got a phone call for a new baby!!

He is a foster to adopt baby.  We got to bring him home when he was only 4 days old! We are currently fostering him until he either goes back to his mom, or he is adopted by us.  Obviously we love him to pieces and he is such a member of our family already.  We should know more by about May of this year if we get to adopt him or not.

Then the snow blew in.

Drifts as tall as our fence happened (which our dog loved because she could bark at everything from Waaaay up high, and our goats loved because they like to climb!) and we got snowed in for two days before we were finally able to be plowed out!

Although I can't complain because I got DH for the whole time!!  It's not often that you get to take a snow day at work!

I also read some amazing books for our book club.  

Having the temple so close gives me ample opportunity to attend at least once a month.  Reading these books has given me a new perspective and opened my mind to so many beautiful truths that previously I didn't think about.  It is amazing.  I love going, even when it is to do baptisms with my boys.  They constantly amaze me, and their dedication to going on a regular basis is inspiring.

I started taking a wonderful herbal course called "The Taste of Herbs" from Learning Herbs.  I am loving it!  I have also spent quite a bit of time playing with herbals and making new things, like the muscle rub above.

The muscle rub has come in handy after a massive accident that scared and really rocked our little family.  On December 11th, I was driving my 3 oldest to the city 1/2 hour away to attend a ballet.  We lost control on the ice and collided head-on with another truck.

That is my poor little Explorer.  I am so very thankful that I was driving a tank though, because even though we were on the highway, and we were in a head-on collision, we all are OK.

My oldest was flown to the Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary, AB.  He had fractures in his orbital bone, a brain bleed, a large laceration above his eye, and was being watched for possible brain damage.

I have spent many hours crying, praying, and thanking our Heavenly Father for our blessings.

My oldest was released after 4 days and is so much better.

The most amazing part?  I could literally see the hand of the Lord as he healed right in front of my eyes.  He is still struggling with his brain injury, but it is not serious.  He ended up having concussion like symptoms and is fully aware of how blessed he is to be alive and well.

We all have emotional trauma, but we are all fine.

We came home and had an amazing Christmas together.  It was wonderfully healing to just be together as a family and love and play together.
 

Also for Christmas, my BIL came down from Edmonton.  Everyone who comes from Edmonton, or is going past Red Deer knows that they should buy me donuts from the Donut Mill!  BFF status is secured this way!!

Not only did he remember, he brought me 2 dozen!!

I also got a necklace that gives me permission to be bossy at all times.

What?  You can't see where it says that??

The little portion that says, "be wise" is a joke.  One day a friend of mine told me that she would listen to what I had just said because I was "wise".  Her code for "bossy"!!  Since then it has become a joke to the women I know around here.  A friend found this in Saskatchewan and brought it home for me for Christmas.
Aren't my friend's amazing?!

Life here is good.  We have had a few bumps along the way.

We are still struggling through a pretty major bump.  But we believe that Heavenly Father has a plan for us.  He has something in store that he wants to teach us.  We are trying really hard to learn whatever that is.

I am going to try really hard this year to make this blog something of a journal of the bumps and learning opportunities along the way.  Posting recipes, book reviews, happenings, and blessings we receive this year.  Please bear with me as I fumble along this year, and please feel free to come along with me!

Cheers

Summer is Busy!

Haven't been here for a while.

Like long time!

So here is a brief pictorial of what we have been up to...and why I was missing for a while.

Weeding a hugemongeous garden takes time.  Lots of time!  Lucky for us we didn't have a tonne of weeds.  Thankful for that!

Exploring new abandoned properties, finding treasures and trees to transplant to our land.

Made some great new Hutterite friends.  I went out foraging a few times with them, and they gave me tonnes of canned tomatoes I turned into sauce and salsa.

Making my very first poultices!  Exciting no?!

Harvesting things from our huge garden.  Onions are so good fresh from the ground!

Making pies!

Planning this year for school.

Drying yet more herbs.

Getting new baby ducks, chickens, and fully grown geese.

Watching how fast our other babies are growing!  The black one is still just a baby and is already almost as big as the brown one who is just about a year!

Life has been really busy, but oh so very nice.

Cheers

Hazel's Eulogy

On the 20th of June, my dear friend Hazel Valentine Henderson passed on to our Heavenly Father's embrace.  She was more than a friend to me, she was family.

I didn't get to attend her funeral, and I wanted to so badly, but I couldn't make it.  I knew my Dad had given her Eulogy because he had contacted me a few days previously to ask for stories about her.  When asked nicely, he shared his piece with me.  

I wanted to have it here recorded so that I could keep it somewhere I wouldn't lose it.  She was important and loved by many, but to me it seems she was just mine.  In my Dad's voice, his words below.  Enjoy if you like.

It was 1977 that Jenny and I were first introduced to Hazel and Bob, just shortly after they joined the church. Jenny and I were still newlyweds, having been married less than a year at the time. As seems to be the case with most newlyweds, little did we know about where life would take us, not to mention the significance of that first meeting with the Hendersons...

Our first child, Jaime was about three months old, when one day at church Bob and Hazel told us we needed to enjoy a night out. Because they were still so much in love, they knew something we had yet to learn, and that was to take time for each other, regardless of what else might compete for your attention. They also put their money where their mouth was... They told us not only should we get out, but they were going to babysit our three month old daughter, free of charge. That night was so significant, I remember the movie we went to... The first Star Wars movie. It was also significant for them, because Jaime cried the entire time we were away. But even though our child terrorized them for the 2.5 hours we were gone, they were still happy and excited for us when we returned... And no, it wasn't fake.

That night started a relationship that went far past friendship. Shortly after Bob's death, our oldest son, Aaron, was born. Hazel had already made sure I knew she expected to be the one I called when Jenny went into labour. I didn't hesitate to call her. Nor did I hesitate when Jenny miscarried, nor did I hesitate when Malcolm was born, when Keegan was born, or when Seonaid was born. In fact, we recall with fondness the night Seonaid was born... Apparently we left Hazel in such a rush we weren't very grateful hosts, so she just curled up on our couch without any blanket, not wanting to wake our kids. Jaime, who was 12 at the time, got up and noticed Hazel on the couch and put a blanket on her so she could sleep soundly. Small payback for that night of crying she submitted Hazel and Bob to twelve years previous, but our kids had already developed a love for Hazel that will always endure. Hazel attended every important occasion in the lives of our children... Baptisms, piano recitals, high school graduations, weddings... You name it, Hazel was there, for every one of them.

Here is what they told me when I asked them for some memories...

From Jaime: When I was in high school, lunchtime was really hard for me. I struggled with not having any friends to eat lunch with when it was so very important to have friends. Hazel invited me over to her house once a week to eat lunch and play piano. She was a big part of making school more bearable for me. I will always remember that seemingly small act of kindness to a teenage girl. I may not have had grandparents
close but she was always there to fill that role. When I had kids she adopted them as her great grands without a second thought. Gage was just telling me he truly loved her like a grandma and that is rare for kids. When Kolten was learning how to play piano she let him come once a week to play for her. No matter the song, she was so nice to him. She would gently encourage him and make him feel like he was a true performer. My boys also fondly remember the duck she had that delivered jelly beans out its
backside.

From Aaron: The most special thing I remember about Hazel is not an event... I just remember who she was. She was always considered our Grandma because she was there for our family and it was easy to feel her love. It made me feel special that she always remembered my birthday with a card and a phone call where she would sing Happy Birthday while playing it on the piano. When we started having kids she did the
same for them and made them feel special. She is such a kind-hearted lady and will be missed from our life. It's hard because I still remember the smell of her house and her big old car from Beny's. I love her and look forward to her hugs in the life to come.

From Malcolm: I remember her little suitcase that she'd bring whenever she babysat us. It contained clip on jewelry and necklaces... I don't think she was bringing them for me, but I remember getting good use out of them. Pizza parties at her house were always good times as well.

From Keegan: I remember Hazel taking us out for supper when we were baptized. She made us feel very special on a very special occasion, even though when it was my turn she dropped me off on the front step not realizing you guys weren't home. I also recall her performing at my school with her musical group of elderly people. They sang, "How much is that doggie in the window?" I was so proud to know a celebrity.

From Seonaid: I remember all kinds of cool things in her basement, but most of all I loved playing with her old typewriter. During high school I'd go to her home to play piano (she taught me several versions of chopsticks) and to have tea parties complete with pop and tomato sandwiches. I would gag down the sandwiches because I never had the heart to tell her I hate tomatoes.

To Jenny, Hazel was a dear friend... in spite of the fact nearly four decades separating them in age. Jenny only has fond memories of her and says they needed each other. She says Hazel made her feel so important and that she was always doing a good job. She feels so blessed to have Hazel consider our family to be like family to her, something Jenny didn't fully become aware of until about 10 years ago.

She remembers that Hazel loved to eat and that we had many home cooked family dinners together. (And, may I add, Hazel always had plenty of room left for dessert... She could put away at least as much as any of our growing boys.) These family dinners would often culminate in a game of Scrabble as Hazel would drink her cup of hot water. (Did I mention she likely had another piece of dessert?) Jenny visited Hazel at least weekly up to her dying day. During the last six months or so, Jenny ended each visit by giving Hazel a hug and telling her, "Remember I love you," to which Hazel would reply, "I love you too..." even when Jenny wasn't sure if Hazel knew who she was.

As we've heard, Hazel loved music, and in particular, playing the piano. She's played with, and for, many of you. Even the handmade greeting cards signed by "Hazel in The Hat" were adorned with musical notes. Just a couple of weeks prior to her passing, Kenzie and Kennedy, two of our granddaughters, each played a piano piece for her. In spite of the fact Hazel was in such pain, somewhat confused, and frustrated because
she couldn't communicate well, she still had periods of lucidity where she'd smile and say the music was lovely.

She also loved Scrabble and played it with a take no prisoners attitude, a fact that can be attested to by Barb Burton and others who spent many hours playing the game with her. (It's a good thing Scrabble isn't a contact sport or we may have seen a different side of Hazel, so great was her passion for the game.)

Hazel had integrity. While still living at home and driving herself wherever she needed to be, she came to our home for dinner one day and told me something had happened on the way over. Apparently she had driven through a red light and hadn't realized it until she got through the intersection. "I don't want to hurt anyone," she told me. "I'm going to stop driving." She took her car home that day, put it up for sale, and never drove again.

Hazel also had a great sense of humour. When she was living in the Valleyview and still well enough to come to our weekly Sunday family dinner, I once called her up to arrange a time to pick her up. She told me that some of the ladies had been talking about the fact some young man (me) picked her up so often. When I arrived in the lobby there were several of them, watching. Hazel gave me a big hug, took me by the arm, started walking out with me, then turned and said goodbye to them, adding with a twinkle in her eye, "I don't know if I'll be back tonight... Don't wait up for me."

Not long after that incident, Hazel asked if I'd take her picture so that she could send it out as a Christmas greeting. I decided Hazel deserved something more than just a snapshot, so I went to her residence at the Valleyview with a backdrop, lights, and all the associated requisite paraphernalia. Hazel insisted I leave her door open so that all the people walking the hall could see the model and her photo shoot. After seeing the
results of the photo shoot—the photo you see today—Hazel told me she had a whole bunch of people who wanted my services. "Because," she said, "If you can make me look this good, they all want it." Truth be told, all I did was set up the lights and backdrop and press the shutter release on the camera... The looking good part was all her doing, and it comes from a life full of serving her fellow man as the Saviour himself
would do.

Several years ago, when Dee Pitcher was the bishop of 1st Ward, Hazel told me how privileged she felt to have her bishop as her home teacher... Someone who would check up on her on a regular basis, perform acts of service for her, and leave a spiritual message in her home. She said, "I feel so spoiled." I haven't spoken to Bishop Pitcher about this, but knowing Hazel so well I can guarantee he would tell us he was the
privileged one and that, in fact, he was the one who was spoiled by being able to serve Hazel in such a manner.

This is all underscored by the fact that, after being unable to attend church for sometime due to illness, great efforts were made by her ward family to make Hazel feel welcome and comfortable when she was once again able to attend... Rides were arranged, a big soft chair was strategically placed at the back of the chapel, and ward members were once again greeted not by a handshake, but by a hug from Hazel.

And that is the legacy of Hazel Valentine Henderson. She will always be remembered as one who truly gave of herself and made everyone who crossed her path a better person for having known her. Everyone here has their own Hazel stories to tell; everyone feels like an adopted member of her family; everyone here has their own special reason for loving her. Isn't it comforting to know that some lucky dude named Bob once more has his Valentine by his side, never to be separated again.

What I Have Been Up To...

Hatching new babies in my incubator...

...and admiring their beautiful new feathers.

I have two new breeds to test out, Barred Plymouth Rock and Giant Black Cochins.  Both have beautiful babies.

Harvesting my first crop of radishes.  So far we have baby beet greens, baby lettuce, and radishes.

 Discovering my now favorite "go to" recipe for soap.  I have made 4 batches (with variations) this past couple weeks and EVERY. SINGLE. ONE worked!  That is awesome and the soap lathers so nice.  It also looks pretty.

 

Weeding the giant garden that some wack job (me) thought would be fun to have!  It is huge, but lucky I have 3 wonderful helpers!

Getting awesome presents from my friends! (because I really have one - Crappy Little Kitchen that is, I have a couple friends!  :D)

Meeting some lovely ladies at the Hutterite Colony next door, and getting some awesome salve out of it.  It is supposed to help with my arthritis...we shall see.

Harvesting some herbals for this coming winter, and making some infused oil out of it.  I used some of the dandelion oil and Balm of Gilead I made earlier in my soap, so I am looking forward to making some first aid salve out of the fun things I acquired last night.

I also have been harvesting some plants on those trips to put in my yard.  Wild Licorice, Bee Balm, Roses, etc.  So awesome.

I have been so blessed to have found a group of women that accept me in and let me tag along on their foraging trips!  It makes it so much better when you can have a group and not do it alone!

I am also a really bad mom and didn't take any photos of the SUPER SPECIAL weekend that my boys had.

My baby turned 8 and chose to be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was a beautiful day.  He is an amazing young man and is such a good example to us all.  We had many members of our family, and some great friends attend.  Ice Cream supper after topped it off!

Then, my oldest was ordained to the office of a Teacher in the Priesthood the next day.  He is also a wonderful example and such an amazing young man. We had friends and family out for dinner after.

It was such a great weekend and a witness to me that my boys are growing up good.  They make choices that are good and right, they have friends that come to support them and see them grow, they have such amazing personalities and I am blessed to be their Mom.

So, although I have been busy, I have been keeping track so I could come tell you all about it.  :)  Enjoy your summer!

Cheers

Family

 I just found out that a dear friend and substitute Grandma died this morning.  She was an amazing woman who taught me and loved me well.  She needed to pass on to our Heavenly Father's embrace so this is not a sad occasion, rather a joyous one as she returns to loved ones and our loving Heavenly Father.

This however made me think of what our definition of family is.

Does it look like this?

Minus the perms I am sure, but we all have these little gems in our albums and memories.  (I am the tall one in the back!)

Or maybe it looks like this...

Little more recent, little more just our own little family, no extended ones in the photo with us, but still in the extended picture.

But as I was thinking about that, I realized it would leave something very important and life changing out of the picture if that is all I counted as family.

It would discount the life changing friends I made in college (some of whom I keep close to my heart in memory and some I keep close through maintained life changing contact)

 It would discount the women who changed my life forever and still do almost on a daily basis.

It would also discount the people whom I have met and love dearly, but are not related by blood.  (even if we are so distantly related that we tell our kids we are cousins!!)

It would also discount those whom I have never met, but feel such a close kinship to that I truly feel like we are sisters.

 

Since that process of mind boggling thought (for me anyway! :D), I have come to the conclusion that we are blessed with many types of family!

I have women here that have loved and accepted me right into their families and I can't think of a time I didn't know them.  I truly think of them as sisters and am baffled and amazed that others don't know them like I do or want to be with them all the time like I do.

I have people that I have maintained through time that are brothers and sisters to me just as much as my own blood brothers and sisters.  Some who my family have accepted and adopted into their lives, and some they haven't.  

I have people that I love dearly that have departed, that have no blood relation to me, that I rejoice in the knowledge that I will see again and get to greet in the great family reunion above.

As I have reflected on this, I realize that we are truly blessed in this life to make some connections with people that we meet.  To call them truly, and honestly, Brother and Sister.  

I am blessed to have such a family and I thank my Heavenly Father for them each and every day.

Cheers

City Girl Gets Excited

So I had a strange conversation with myself the other day...

Suffice it to say, I have discovered that I am still a city girl, playing at the farm girl role.  I really like playing though, so you get to hear about my adventures this week!

My Muscovy duck hatched out some babies last night!

She was really unimpressed that this city girl kept looking in on her though and attacked me a couple times.

Her babies are adorable (as most ducklings are!) but her beak is super sharp!  This was the best photo I could get so far as she kept biting me and my phone as I tried to at least snap something I could text to my peeps.

I learned that DH is so much more patient than I am.

He kept at the bottle feeding thing with our poor baby goat long after I gave up.

Turns out that the shots the vet had me giving her (yes, I actually was not only giving my goats shots...I was doing it myself!!  Yay city girl!) were actually making her worse.  So, we stopped them and she blossomed!

She is a beautiful little goat now.  Getting along as if she never were struggling at all.

Her and her brother are playing, jumping, running like little maniacs.  It is a wonderful sight to see!  I love it.

We went to a friend's house the other day to dig some trees (she often asks us to come dig suckers and whatnot.  It is awesome!) and she had bought a new peach tree.

I am waiting to see if she can make it grow because if it does...Jaime's gonna get one!  It looks awesome.  If you are in a cold climate (zone 4 or so) check it out here, you might want to invest in one too.

Also, when I went out to collect eggs from our very old chickens (they are almost 4 years old) I found this:

Yup, you see that right.  It is a super tiny egg.  About the size of a large marble actually.

Old hens don't lay stuff like that!

I went out to chat with them and they didn't lay anymore though.

We cracked it open.  I was sure it would be all white, or maybe empty, but it was complete with a tiny yolk and white.  It was pretty fun to see.  Much like this video only in reverse...quite a bit! (and another...appears his hen didn't listen when he told her to stop! :D)

Hope your week is awesome and full of adventure!
Cheers