Canada Trip 2013

Our annual trip to Canada has come and gone.  The girls and I flew into Minot, North Dakota where Mark and all the puppies met us.  We had almost 3 weeks of family time-hunting, playing with the dogs and visiting our friends.  I say it every year, but it's always so bittersweet leaving.  Part of my heart is always left there in this beautiful country with these dear people.

Crossing the border

Grace and me on one of the flights

Emma got sick our first day there!  Her buddy Duke was trying to make her feel better

Me and Emma hanging out in the duck blind!

Our girl Thicket posing with a duck she fetched.

Mary, Emma, our friend Mrs. Phyllis, me and Grace

Emma catching up on some school reading on our drive back from Delta Beach.

Our favorite coffee shop and some of our favorite  people.  Mary, Emma, Mrs.Phyllis, Mr.Henry and Grace.

The one time of year we get to ice skate.  We had the whole rink to ourselves.

Grace and Emma lighting our paper lantern.

Emma got to go to school with her friend Samantha.  It was her first time in public school (she has only been home schooled).  She had a blast!

Long Distance Friends

The beauty of a blog is that you're able to meet so many wonderful people.  I've never had the opportunity to meet any of my blogger friends in person, just through email and text messaging.  My daughter Grace has a much different story.

A girl who reads her blog emailed her one day.  She commented on how much the two of them had in common.  Emails led to Skyping and texting daily.  Their friendship gradually grew. Not only do they share similar personalities and interests, but they are both strong in their faith too.  They wanted so badly to meet each other.  Unfortunately we live more than 900 miles apart.  

When we started planning our DC trip we realized that our route would take us right through Melissa's city!  Both girls were thrilled.  In fact, Melissa's parents even invited us to have dinner with them and to spend the night at their house.  I was so moved by their generosity.  

The visit was all Grace dreamed it would be...just too short.  I really enjoyed getting to know Melissa's mom and dad and her younger sister.  Meeting this family affirmed for me that God has brought Melissa into Grace's life for a reason.  I can't wait to see what the future holds.

Melissa, Grace and Rachel

Mary, Rachel, Grace, Melissa and Emma celebrating Grace's birthday early with cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes.

A Whirl-wind trip!

3600+ miles in 6 days.  8 states and 2 countries!  What in the world was I thinking??
It all started with taking our puppy to camp (dog training) in Brainerd, MN.  We've made this trip a few times-no big deal.  The dog trainer and his family are friends of ours so it's always nice to visit them.

Then little Emma spoke up and said she just had to visit her penpal who lives in southern MN.  We don't get to MN that often, so I added this stop to our list too.

A few days before we were to leave one of my Canadian friends called.  As we chatted she mentioned that she'd be in Winnipeg while I was in MN.  Seriously?  Winnipeg is only 7 hours from Brainerd.  It wouldn't be a problem to hop across the border for the day!

So, our trip went like this:
Day 1 drive from our home to Foristill, MO (about 13 hours)
Day 2 from MO to Brainerd, MN (about 11 hours)  visited and had dinner with our friends and dropped off the puppy at the kennel.
Day 3 drove from MN to Winnipeg, Canada (about 7 hours)-had lunch with my friend and visited for 4 hours) then drove back across the border and spent the night in Fargo, ND.
Day 4 drove from ND back to Brainerd.  Had lunch with our friends and visited our puppy one more time.  Then drove to southern MN.  Had dinner with our other friends and spent the night with them.
Day 5 drove about 10 hours from Lonsdale, MN to Arnold, MO (just south of St. Louis).
Day 6 drove from MO to home sweet home!  (about 11 hours)

To say we were exhausted is such an understatement, but it was all worth it.  Seeing our friends, sweet fellowship, making memories.  That's what it's all about!  Now to rest for a few days and embark on our next girl's road trip!

Early morning driving calls for a stop by Starbucks! (day 3)

We're in Canada again! (day 3)

Me and my sweet buddy Cheryl.  I was so very happy to see her, even if it was for just a little while.

(day 3)

Here's Emma with her friends Kate and Clark.  Their daddy has trained several of our dogs. (day 4)

Our friends in southern MN-Emma and her pen pal Betsy with the rest of our families. (day 4 and 5)

Hearts everywhere!

For once I'm ahead of the game!  I've already been thinking about Valentine's day.  I found these cute patterns on Pinterest to try.  They make up quickly and are so cute!  Plus, I think they'll be healthier for our friends than candy.  :)

Isn't this the cutest little cookie?  I really needed a lighter color yarn for the 'cookie' part.  I was just using what I already had on hand.

This is a sweet little coaster.  So simple!

My Annual Ornament Party

December is such a busy month for us every year but one thing we refuse to give up is our annual ornament exchange.  The girls and I love buying ornaments, planning our menu and preparing the invitations.  This year we had 22 people come.

  My great aunt loves to play games and so does my youngest daughter.  We start the morning off with a few games.  After that it's time for lunch.  Our menu this time was a vegetable and fruit tray, hamburger soup with oyster crackers and Southern Living's winning white cake.

After our tummies are full we move to the living room and begin the exchange.  It's always amazing to me that we never have 2 of the same ornaments.  I love seeing all the beautiful ornaments unwrapped and figuring out who brought them.  There's  lots of laughter and smiles all around.  In the midst of this busy month, this is one day that's pure enjoyment!

Party favors-dishcloths that I crocheted

All ready for everyone to arrive

All of the adults eating lunch (children and teens had to eat in the kitchen-this table just wasn't big enough!)

l-r my cousin, my mom, another cousin and my great aunt

Having fun exchanging ornaments!

All of the family members-4 generations

fruit Christmas tree* 

Vegetable Christmas tree*

*I forgot to take pics of our vege and fruit trees.  These pics are from pinterest.

Guess where we went???

Some people think we're crazy just for watching their show. They'll really think we've lost it now! LOL!! I'm not ashamed to say that '19 Kids and Counting" is our absolute favorite show. The girls and I make a point to watch the show each week and read any books the family publishes.

When we had the opportunity to visit their part of the world we were thrilled!
Some of you may wonder why? There are so many shows on TV, why watch them? In my opinion, this is a wholesome, Christian family who seeks to glorify the Lord in all they do. Their girls are such good role models for my girls. I would much rather my girls copy them than one of the latest teen idols. They're a wonderful family!
So...we visited Duggar-ville and we were thrilled. We can't wait to go back again. Until then, we'll keep up with them each week here in our home.

Why do we keep returning to Canada??

Here are just a few reasons why:

I love to watch our dogs 'work'. They are truly amazing animals.

We get to spend quality time as a family with no outside interruptions (TV, computer, phones, etc.)

SNOW!!! We certainly don't get this in south Alabama!

A simpler life. Mrs. Marion runs a small store which is also the post office. She sells home-baked goodies including breads and tarts. Every time we go in she insists the girls pick out something to take as a gift from her. She always has time to visit with us.

The main reason I keep returning is to see my buddy Cheryl. 2 weeks a year is just not long enough to spend with her.

Nice to meet you!

I love to visit other blogs and 'get to know' other people. Lynne has come up with a wonderful way to connect us all-especially those of us with small blogs (fewer followers). Go on over to her blog and check out the list along with all the beautiful creations she has.

Cooking Class

Eating happens to be a hobby for me. I just wish cooking was! LOL! I enjoy cooking, it just doesn't come easy for me and doesn't always turn out the way I plan. I'm working on that though.

Recently we had our Spanish tutor and good friend over to show us how to make empanadas. Beatriz is originally from Columbia. I've had empanadas while in Argentina, but these were different.

The fillings were 2 different meats. One was a roast that was boiled, torn and added to a red salsa and boiled potatoes. The other was boiled chicken mixed with red salsa and boiled potatoes. Both were put into a cornmeal dough and deep fried.

She made a yummy green salsa for dipping.

The lesson concluded with a total of 80 empanadas and some very full tummies! I can't wait to try them again.

Our Girl's Road Trip

(a barn in Iowa)

Nothing does my heart more good that spending time with my girls. At the end of July we decided to go on a road trip. It's kind of an annual thing for us. This year was a bit different...a bit farther. Usually we travel in our state or neighboring states. For this drive we were heading north, way north-all the way to Brainerd, MN. Grace and I sat on the back porch one evening a couple of weeks prior to leaving to plan the drive. I casually asked Grace, "How many miles to MN?" She hesitantly replied, "14oo". My mouth fell open! Seriously??? I know where Minnesota is. I've flown there many times. I've just never driven there-by myself with 3 children and 1 dog. I immediately decided this was crazy. We would be driving from the bottom of our country almost all the way to the top (within 6 hours of Canada). My hubby came to the rescue and assured me that I could do it and that the girls and I would make so many memories.

(our friend's barn in Ft. Ripley, MN)

So, that Thursday morning we loaded up our small SUV and departed about 7:00am. The first day we drove all the way to Wentzville, MO (just above St. Louis). The following day we made it to our destination around 7:30 pm. Honestly it wasn't as bad as I thought to drive 1400 miles. I love seeing our beautiful country and this was the perfect opportunity.

You may be asking why we wanted to go to Brainerd, MN. Well, it involves a dog...actually 3. Our puppies are up there at a kennel called Pine Shadows for training. They left in June and will return home in Sept. We just couldn't wait to see them. Plus we wanted to see where 2 of our Springer Spaniels were born and meet their 'family'. We also happen to be good friends with the trainer and his family. We visited the kennel, broke bread with our friends and shopped at the nearby town of Nisswa.

(me with one of the many puppies at Pine Shadows)

(our little English Pointer Willow)

(Thicket, our 3yr old Springer Spaniel from Pine Shadows)
Yes, it was well worth the 22 hours and 1400 miles (one way) to see our babies and friends. Now I'm wondering where our next adventure will take us.

A Gift for me

For my birthday this year I received the most lovely gift in the mail...all the way from Utah to the deep south. Joy is the wife of one of my Army buddies. She's a southern belle from Kentucky who moved to Utah for her true love. She's super creative-loves to scrapbook and quilt. I was speechless when this package came for me. She combined 2 of my loves-quilting and Auburn University (War Eagle!).

I'm still in awe of all the time and energy she put into this precious gift. No one has ever made a quilt for me. What makes it super special is that Joy and I have never met face-to-face. She married my buddy and automatically became my 'southern sista'. :) Everytime I wrap up in my quilt I think of her and how much she loves me. What a special gift from a special person.

Quilt of Dreams

I am blessed with so many wonderful friends. One of which makes me happy and sad. When I first met her she scared me! LOL! We're total opposites. Physically we're different-she has fair skin and is blond and well...I'm not. :) As far as personalities-she's a very strong, opinionated woman. She's not afraid to speak up and she works well under pressure. Me, well, I'm a little quieter, more timid (kind of) and just not the leader that she is. So, what do we have in common? We're both nurses (well, I was), we have girls and we're both very tender hearted.

The one thing I've figured out about Cheryl over the years is that she may have a hard exterior, but I've never met a woman with a kinder more giving heart. She's been through a lot in her life. Some of which I can't even imagine. Yet she's chosen to take the high road and find the good in the not so pleasant. She's a go-getter, a terribly hard worker, a wonderful mom and wife and the most amazing friend. She's always there for me. I know that if I need her all I have to do is pick up the phone and call. She would be here in a heart beat if I asked her.

Only one problem....she lives over 2000 miles away from me. :( I'm in the deep south and she's on the prairie in Canada. I get to see her for about 2 weeks every year. That's it. She's been to my house once. I talk to her often, email , text and think about her daily. I know without a shadow of a doubt that God put her in my life for a reason. She's truly a rare treasure to me.

So...when her birthday came around I wanted to do something special. That was hard because I didn't know what to do. She's very good about inquiring about me but doesn't like to dwell on herself.

I like to sew things. I don't think I'm creative or talented. I just know that I put a whole lot of love into everything I make. I hope those who receive my gifts can feel it.

For Cheryl I chose a mini quilt. She likes old things. She appreciates handmade gifts. The fabric I chose is my absolute favorite. I've been saving it up. It depicts scenes of Paris, one of my all time favorite places. Why would I choose this for someone who is in Manitoba, Canada? Because one day in the future I'd love to go on a trip with her. Somewhere fun and different where we could really get to know each other while experiencing something new. How fun would that be?

Therefore I made a quilt that she could look at and I could remember. Hopefully every time we think about it we'll dream about the time we may be so fortunate as to travel together and grow in our friendship.

But if it never happens I'll be completely happy. She's such a breath of fresh air, a kiss from heaven that's been shared with me. Such a dear and loved friend. I SO look forward to those 2 weeks every fall and truly cherish them. Happy birthday Cheryl.

A Winter Exchange

I've got a dear friend that I've never met...in person. I've gotten to know her through her blog. Last year she put together a mom's group with all of us online friends. We can chat on a forum, share ideas and even do exchanges. This was where we filled a box with 'happies'. You can make them or buy them. This year she and I did a winter exchange. I have to admit it's a bit difficult for me, tucked away in the deep south, to come up with ideas for a winter box, but I gave it a try. Another thing we try to incorporate is favorite colors. She likes earth tones, especially brown; her daughters like orange and aqua. I had so much fun working on these things for my friends.

For Kim, a little quilted pillow and journal. I know the pillow's not big, but the idea is to curl up on a winter day, get comfy and write in the journal.

Here are 2 little pillows for her girls.

Also for her and her girls, nature journals. My girls and I love to use water colors or oil pastels to try to capture nature. I can just imagine them looking out their window at the snow and adding to their nature journals.

Winter also makes me think of being in the kitchen- a big pot of soup simmering and bread in the oven. Here's a little dressy dish towel for their kitchen. (I apologize for how dirty my oven door was when I took this picture. LOL!)

Finally, in the depths of a cold winter we can't help but dream of spring. I made 3 tiny birds to remind them that spring would soon come to them.

Last was a miniature pin cushion. On those cold snowy nights I can imagine them sitting by the fire, sewing and mending.

I hope they enjoy the gifts as much as I enjoyed making them. I look forward to the next exchange with my friends.