Really Looking

Well, I am really looking for something to share.

I haven't done any neat projects, haven't completed anything new.

Haven't seen any great movies, or ventured really to far from home.

But what I have been doing is:

• Volunteering at the kids gymkhana's
• Attending meetings to plan the year end banquet for the kids gymkhana
• Designing a email/mailout for the kids gymkana
• Attending hockey conditioning and tryouts
• Attending hockey practices
• Co-coaching Destiny's Pee Wee girls hockey team
• Putting on a parent meeting for the girls hockey team
• Eating a spaghetti supper at the school tonight
• Watching the kids rope and ride at the riding area
• Watching the new Greys
• Watching the new House
• Watching the new survivor
• And spent an evening with the "girls" at a very cute Italian restaurant last Friday.

Oh and I can't forget the pictures I took, I edited the whole batch on Monday so that I could get them to her prior to the baby coming. LUCKY, the baby came 13 days early and arrived on Tuesday.

Ready to Arrive

I was so blessed to be able to take these photos.

The baby is due to arrive in about 3 weeks.

This photo shoot took us 3 hours and many wardrobe changes. We had a great time and I learned a lot about taking pictures inside. I am more of a outdoor shooter, however I really enjoyed this experience and may now have to buy a few lights. Thanks to Shawna for the use of her lights and backdrop.

Editing is in the early stages, but the pictures so far are amazing.

Cutest Helper

Destiny has recently lost a few privileges at home due to some wrong choices, so she has plenty of extra time to help me around the house. Yesterday, she helped cook supper, do laundry, cleaned the front entrance, and even straightened the shoes in my closet with out being asked.

She is a great little helper, and a great little conversationalist with out the T.V on.

I took this picture to finally show you the beautiful apron that the kids "aunty Marlene" made them. This is Destiny's and it is made out of recycled jeans. Thanks Kim.. Hayze's apron is made of recycled denim as well. Just a little more masculine. I will share a picture of him in it, if he ever actually helps in the kitchen.

A couple of pictures for you to look at. I am just trying to get my pictures to look bigger on my posts. I am not sure of the proper way to do this.

I went in and manually changed the pixels on html screen. That seems like a very tedious way to do it, and if I am posting a lot of pictures, not practical at all.

So if you are reading this and you have any idea how my pictures can be big and not so grainy and have to do it manual please let me know. ( bloggers help)

took a couple nights ago. Can't believe the September weather we are having.

A sailors sky is a sure sign on more hot weather.

Destiny and Mic

The kids, I had to snap this one, Can't believe they are in the same room and getting along.

(see how grainy, yukk)

I will keep trying. Have a great weekend.

Weekend full of arenas.

The Regehr family hosted a team roping jackpot and a pig roast on Saturday.

Jim took part in the team roping as a heeler .

Pig roasted to perfection

Jim after the roping, I took no arena pictures for this reason and due to the fact that I was running back and forth to the hockey arena with the children.

After supper they had a dummy roping for the kids.

Hayze won the heeling, and took home a buckle donated by Trina's dad Jim.

Jim was so proud that both Hayze and himself won something.

Jim took 4th place in the jackpot, and won a $50 gift card to K&K livestock.

All the kids from the Dummy roping

Yes, I even got in on the action.

$2.00 entry fee for the adult dummy roping.

notice there is no "victory" photo for me.

We had a great time at the Regehrs, I love getting together for functions like that with friends.

Sunday found us at the gymkhana area in Strathmore and then back at the rink for Hayze's conditioning. Another great day for the kids at the arena. I don't have any pictures because I was helping time and announce. Another great weekend.

As fall continues on and the sports start up, I am getting excited about all the things to come.

Hockey teams will be picked for Hayze after next weekend and their winter series gymkhana starts in Okotoks. Gitty UP.!

Crazy Hair Day

This morning was all about crazy hair day.

Destiny went like Pippy Long Stocking and Hayze just had crazy hair. Hayze enjoys crazy hair day and is confident to pull it off. He will even wear a crazy mohawk not on crazy hair day if him and his buddy's decide that is what they want to do on a certain day. Now pajama day is another story, no pj's to school for him.

Destiny was in her glory this morning, she spent a lot of time looking in the mirror at her new hair do. She loves it.

How We Did It: We took a firm wire hanger. Cut the ends off, molded it to the shape of her head and left 6 inch pieces on either side. When it came time to attach it this morning, I just got her to hold it on top and I braided the sides around the wire and wolla! You have this CRAZY hair do.

She said she looked like pippy long stocking, I was surprised she even knew who she was, but she had seen books.

I am going to pick up our new (used) bedroom suite today. I am so excited, Jim and I have been sleeping in the guest room while he was painting and fixing up our space. Now today the furniture, and I will hang some pictures and we are done that part of the house project.

I will share before and afters when it gets completed. Feel free to remind me to post those pictures, it might keep me motivated to complete my bedroom.

Have a great day.

Cowboys

click to make bigger and read

Count Your Blessings

I had a pretty exciting night with the kids at the arena last night. Hayze "spun" his first steer (dallied). He as been roping since early spring, but we have not allowed him to dally or tie hard to his saddle horn for safety reasons and their really is a lot to learn in a quick hurry. Last night Hayze caught a nice slow ster and make it all happen just perfect. We were so proud of him.

Picture quality low, arena was really dark last night.

Jim healing one for Hayze.

Destiny wanted to practice going out of the box, so I thought she was going to do just that.

I turn around and she is Hazing a steer for Hayze. She came out of the box like a seasoned veteran and full of confidence. She got a bit more practice through out the night and was pretty confidant that when ever her dad needs a hazer for steer wrestling she would be the one who could do it. Way to go hunny..

Destiny and Hayze.

This is a picture I edited a couple nights ago, I think the technique gets lost on my blog but it is very cute. ( you can click on it to make it bigger)

Just about 1/2 hour before this shot was taken Destiny got dumped on you but. She went out to catch her horse and her and her brother decided to jump on and come in with them. They were still with the herd of horses and it all went sideways when one of them took off.

Mic (Destiny's horse) started kicking and bucking and dumped her off the front. Her back was all grass stained and her leg is pretty bruised up but she got back on and finished the night.

Peachy Friend

PEACH PIE

Michelle Stewart brought me the best peach pie yesterday and I want to share it with you so you could enjoy it too. According to facebook they are a popular item and I was lucky enough to get in on the experience so I thought I would share the recipe so you could enjoy the bounty of peach season as well.

Doesn't it look so nummy.. it was still warm in this picture. (thanks again Michelle)

Heaven knows I can't make pies.

Ingredients

• pastry for a double-crust 9-inch pie
• 6 cups fresh peaches, sliced
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/3cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1tablespoons butter
• 
  

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. 2

   Stir together flour, 1 cup sugar, and cinnamon and set aside.

3. 3

   Wash, peel, and slice fresh peaches.

4. 4

   Mix together peaches with the combined dry ingredients.

5. 5

   Turn into pastry-lined pie pan and dot with butter.

6. 6

   Cover with top crust, cut slits in it, seal the edges.

7. 7

   Sprinkle top with 2 tablespoons of sugar.

8. 8

   Cover the edges with foil to prevent over browning; remove foil for the last 15 minutes of baking.

9. 9

   Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through the slits in the crust.

10. 10

    Pie may be frozen for future use.

3876

That is how many visits I have had to my blog in the last year.

3876

Thank you everyone for stopping bye..( dots represent where you all have visited from)

It's funny that Sept 1 brings my blog counter on cluster maps to a new year.

With back to school/work, I too, feel like I have started a new year, now more than New years I want to put routines in place and get organized for another year.

I would also like to get my blog organized.

Let me know what you would like to see on my blog. I have always had a wide range of things on my blog, may it be scrapbooking, pictures, cooking, links to other blogs, family stuff..

Let me know what has caught your attention in the past and that you would like to see more of.

I have added the "follow this blog" on the side bar. If you are interested please sign in.

I love to read everyones comments, please click on "comment" and leave a note.

thanks for following our happens, have a great long weekend

Friends and Family in Bloom

Well, do you remember this Party? We hung Destiny's name on the drive way gate sign and everyone let balloons go. We call it our family and friends party.It was two years ago already (in June)

It was such a great time and we have such fond memories of the time with all of our family and friends..

Just to refresh your memory, we asked everyone to bring a perenial flower rather than a gift for Destiny. Here is some pictures of the flowers from that summer.

Well this year the flower garden had produced quite nicely considering our weather. I wanted to share this mornings bouquet. I encourage you to celebrate in this way at some point in time. What a wonderful way to remember people, picking flowers!. Now this bouquet is not perfect nor do all the colors match, but isn't that who we are as people, and each one of those blooms is from someone different.

the beginnings

Well, today marked the beginning of what is to come. A construction zone.

Jim and I sold our King size bed to a girl that works for me and we are buying a bedroom suit off a client who purchase a house already furnished. So in the mean time that gives us the opportunity to decorate our bedroom.. Hopefully this time actually "decorated it" it always seems to be the last room in the house to get the final touches. Jim painted it today and it is so different. We had a dark egg plant purple and a greeny tone with it before. Today Jim pained dark choc. brown and a really light cream. I think it will be nice once we decorate buy holly "white".. I don't have white painted anywhere in our home right now. "wow"

Our children went boating with their friends today.. They came tired and colored brown. They got lot's of sun and lot's of water sports. Thanks to the Hammonds for taking them. They had a blast.

When they got home we had the Hammonds for supper and a visit. I made this dessert. You should try it. So simple and kid friendly. We all loved it.

Well I will post some before and afters as they are ready. Currently no afters. It hopefully won't be long.

good evening

Back To School

Grade 5

Grade 4

Can you believe it. My baby is in grade 4. I can remember being in grade 4. I told them yesterday as we were walking into the school. I can remember being in grade 4, drawing horses with Marlene and sing to ABBA. All they could say was I didn't know ABBA was that old.! I guess that is how they see it.. Mom is old and we are big Kids moving on up in grades..

It really doesn't feel that long ago. Seems to me I was wearing "pedal pushers " then too..

Hears to another great school year, and good luck to all of you starting in the next few days.

22 days

I can't believe that it has been 22 days since my last post, time flies in the summer and now back to school for the kids tomorrow. Can you believe it.

10 days of those 22 we spent on a "family summer holiday" yup I said family. Being a rodeo family we don't often get time to get away in the summer as a family.. This summer was an exception and hopefully a start of something new.

We started our holiday on Thursday the 13.. We left after Hayzes hockey school and went as far as Swift Current, Sk. We stayed in a cute little campground and got up and headed to Moose Jaw. We had decided to do the tunnel tour on our way to Manitoba. The city is so rich in history, the old buildings are really great as a back drop to pictures. I took some great shots there. I have a lot of updating to do so I won't share them all but we did have a fabulous time in Moose Jaw. ( link to the tunnel info)

Kids in Moose Jaw

We learned some history as well on the tour. It was interesting to listen to the kids when they told people about it. They had obviously learned a bit while having fun.

(Al Capone and attorneys)

From Moose Jaw we headed to Manitoba.

We celebrated Kenny and Shawna's 40th year.

they had a huge party and a fabulous supper for all of us.

thanks so much for the hospitality.

From there, on to Tobin Lake to do some house boating.

It was very pretty on the lake. The weather didn't cooperate with us unfortunately and the fish did not come out either. We had a ton of great food and we did manage to get a few card games in and the kids had a blast playing in the sand on our own private beach.

Upper deck of one of the house boats.

sport goofy

Jim is so funny!

Their you have it. a brief update of a few days of our lives. I dropped and broke my good camera and it is fixed and ready to pick up so I am sure you will be bombarded once again in the near future with pictures. Until then I will continue to update you on the past happening of our summer.

have a great day..

Weekend Complete

thank goodness, to much craziness.!.

This long weekend was jammed packed with rodeo, parade, chuckwagons, wild pony races and wicked storms.

We did get some visiting in with some old friends and the kids enjoyed the freedom of the rodeo infield

Here are some picture hi-lights.

Destiny with her face painted

Our friend Shelly Profit, her family drive wagons

Kids in the parade, the Burnco float with the musicians

This was the hail that fell at the rodeo grounds on Saturday night. Shaped the bullets.. that was crazy.. then Sunday night!

Sunday Night.

Sunday night hailed and Stormed at our home at 2:30 in the morning. Rocking and shaking our house. Our siding is cracked, window broke and my holiday trailer very badly hail damaged.

Horses ran through the fence and gates dinted. It was very scary, we took the kids to the basement and waited it out, we lost power for 8 hours. Not a night I want to relive.

A video of the boys first night wild horse racing.

So as you can see, it was fun and eventful. hopefully insurance is not a hassle and a "make work project" and we can get this fixed up without any problems.

Back to work tomorrow, I think that it will be a welcome change to the unscheduled weekend.