Sisters

Ruth and I have spent most of the day together. We jointly prepared lunch, sat beside each other in service, ate lunch together, and cleaned up together. Then we went together to pick up a very special Christmas present, came back to my house to do some Christmas baking together, and we're just going to run out to the grocery store for some more ingredients. It's been such a blessing to have a sister here in town. We do lots of things together, and both of us have really enjoyed it. We usually do salads together on Saturdays (we skipped yesterday)as well as a fair bit of Sundays. I lived for 20 years in YK with no sisters near, and this is one of the things I really enjoy about living down here. There are some things that a sister really understands best.

It might have been awhile

I got so frustrated last time I tried posting an entry to my blog because it wouldn't let me save and I had to email it to myself and post from a different computer. However, I really miss blogging and I'm going to try again.

Bram and I drove to Moose Jaw this afternoon to visit his Grandmother Thiessen. We hadn't been since Rose was here for her Reading Week, which was in early November, I think. Last time when we visited, she didn't really know me, and it was rather sad trying to visit with her. However this time she was with it. We visited for awhile and than we sang together until it was time for her to go down for supper. It was very nice to have a visit with her.

I was pondering this week on traditions. When I moved from Yellowknife, I had to establish new traditions for myself. One of the first ones I started was about decorating the tree. Lloyd would never have a Christmas tree, although I had grown up with one. So I put my pennies together and bought an artificial tree (Rose is allergic to evergreens) and decorations and decorated my first tree in about 20 years. I invited people to come over to help me decorate. We set it up and decorated it on November 25 because that's my anniversary and I knew that it would be a hard day for me. I did that again for the next two years, however this year, it wasn't as essential for me to have people over and be busy that night. Western had decorated some beautiful Christmas trees that they were selling by sealed bid auction at the musical and I put a bid in on three of them and won the bid for two of them. This means that I now have three Christmas trees. I set up the biggest one (and it's really huge) in the corner of the living room. I also have a really big living room, so there was lots of space for it. I set up the prettiest one (my personal opinion, I know) in the family room. I've left the third one in its box in weird closet #2.

I haven't done any baking for Christmas. I'd like to do that - but I just am not motivated. One of the things I left behind by accident when I left Yellowknife was my recipe box with all of my personal and family recipes. So I really need to get them from other sources in order to make the cookies, etc. that we have always eaten for Christmas.

OK, this entry is long enough - let's see if I can post it or if I'll have difficulties again.

Back home

I can't over emphasize how good it feels to be home tonight. Normally I'd be out for The Party, but it was cancelled due to Hallowe'en. I was away all weekend up to Saskatoon. It was good to be there, but it's so nice to be back home again.

It was a little more eventful getting to Saskatoon than I had intended. We had planned to go by way of Moose Jaw and to visit with Mom Thiessen there. Part of the reason to travel was so that Rose could visit with family while she was here for Reading Week. Going by way of Moose Jaw isn't that much further out of the way. However this time it was. First of all, we had a flat tire about 3 km short of Moose Jaw, so I phoned and got a tow truck to come and put my spare on for me. By the time that was done, it was nearly 6 o'clock, so I dropped Rose, Bram and Leo off at the nursing home while I went to see about my tire.

However, it's impossible to get anything done at 6 pm on a Friday. I was concerned that my spare wouldn't be good enough to drive to S'toon on. We finally ended up driving to Eyebrow and Doug kindly looked at it and gave me a new spare. By the time all of that was done, it was pretty late and pretty dark. I didn't want to drive to S'toon through Elbow as the last time I'd gone that way the highway was pretty bad so I went on the grid at Tugaske and drove to Craik, rejoining highway 11. That is a trifle further, but the grid was excellent. It also meant that by the time we got to Warman, it was 11:30.

We spent much of Saturday looking for a Hallowe'en costume for Leo. We didn't find anything he'd like, but we did get him a winter coat for a very good price at Mark's Work Warehouse. Friday night we had supper at Dad and Mom's and were able to visit with David and Shirley as well, which was a bonus. Then we went over to Rob and Melissa's to get our first glimpse of the new nephew. He's very cute.

Sunday we went to worship (how I enjoyed the singing - the acoustics are wonderful!) then left immediately to drive back to Regina as Rose's plane left at 4:30. We arrived in Regina at 2:30 so had time to stop at the house before I took her to the airport. Sunday night Bram and I watched The King's Speech. I hadn't seen it before and really enjoyed it, even though it kept me up past my bedtime a bit.

We only had 6 kids come to the door for Hallowe'en tonight. Bram and Leo went out to the Hallowe'en party at school. Bram was the scariest - he dressed as a telemarketer. Leo finally ended up going as a vampire. We went after school today and picked him up what he needed. He was so excited about dressing up for Hallowe'en. He'd been talking about it for weeks!

Family

I'm supposed to turn in a family photo for something at work. However, I don't seem to be able to find a family photo with me, Rose and Bram. However, Rose is here this week - and Bram lives with me - so I'm going to try to get a family photo taken. It might be nice to have a photo of our family. This is high on my to do list for this week.

Packing

I should be packing right now - I'm leaving tomorrow right after school with most of the rest of our staff to go to Calgary for teacher's convention. We'll be back, Lord willing, late Friday night. However, I need to do some deep breathing and unwinding after school before I can start another task.

I also need to remind Bram to pack, as he flies up to Yellowknife for the long weekend tomorrow. I've had a little bit of arranging to do, to ensure that he can make his flight, as he leaves after I do - but Ruth has said she'll take him to the airport.

We're leaving Leo home alone for a couple of days; but he's 18 and should be fine. I need to make sure that there's lots of choices in the fridge for him.

Rose is likely packing in the next couple of days too, as she has reading week next week and is flying here to see us. She should arrive Friday evening (likely before I get back from Calgary). This means that I also had to make arrangements for her to get picked up from the airport.

Bram arrives back from YK Sunday night, and then we're done travelling for a little bit. I want to drive everyone up to S'toon next weekend. There's a new baby up there that we haven't seen yet.

It's strange in a way; when I lived in the north, travelling "out" was such a big deal and only happened once or twice a year. However, now I'm living in Regina, where so many places are so much closer - I rarely go anywhere. I don't think I've been to Saskatoon since dad's birthday at the end of April. Aside from the cruise this summer, and going to Clearview Camp for a week, the only other place that I can remember travelling is to Gravelbourg - once in May and once in September. I guess I'm really a home body.

I've figured it out

I've been unable to post to my blog from home lately - it allows me to write it and save it, but not post it for some reason. So I'm posting it from work, during lunch hour. The whole thing is rather frustrating, but it is a work around.

I've really missed updating my blog. I have so many things that I contemplate on, or just to keep track of what's going on in my life, and I've used the blog for years to do that.

Right now it's the end of the six-week marking period at school. Marks have to be in before 9 am tomorrow. I've got all my marking done, I just need to put them into the program. That shouldn't take me very long. It feels good to be (almost) finished.

Thankfulness

I got frustrated last time I tried to post here because it would only save my title, and it wouldn't save what I had written. We'll see if it'll work this time.

It's Thanksgiving today and I have so much to be thankful for. It was Lectureship this weekend and I got to see and visit with a number of people that I hadn't seen for some time, as well as with my parents, etc. It was also good just to sing for an extended time.

Sunday afternoon I had a small crowd over for Thanksgiving dinner. I was thankful that so many people came and brought food as well, because it really wasn't much work that way. Mind you, it wasn't that big a crowd; I think there were just under 40 people. I'm so thankful that I have a large house and it's easy to accommodate a crowd. Then I had an evening nap, got up and visited with Rose on the phone for a bit. I'm so thankful that she's enjoying school and is getting settled. She's going to two Thanksgiving potlucks today; one at her boarding house and one at the Preacher's house. She phoned me to ask what she should bring since she has no bowls besides a small soup bowl. I suggested that she bake sweet potatoes in the microwave and bring them, because you don't really need a bowl for that.

This morning I did the final clean up from yesterday. I washed dishes and did laundry (which took about an hour) and was so thankful that I had the time to do that. I always find it amazing that what takes so much effort the night before is really not that much work the next day. I was also thankful that it was so easy to clean up; and that I had the dishes to wash and a place to put them when they're clean (I put them in the empty dishwasher to dry).

This afternoon Bram, Leo (my boarder) and I drove to Moose Jaw to visit my mother-in-law. She was happy to see us; called me Marilyn Orr (which I guess has always been my name - just not one I've used for over 20 years). We sang with her for a bit and visited for a bit. She asked me how I knew her, which was a little sad. then we had to leave. I'm thankful that I live close enough that I am able to visit and sorry that I don't visit as often as I'd like to. I don't think I've been there since July.