My children at Three Valley Gap

Good Morning

Good Morning
Isn't it funny how the days pass and you really don't notice until there is a big change. Like this morning I have been up since 4am it is now nearly 6am and it is still dark outside a few weeks ago it would have bright with the sun shining and last night during our walk there was such a strong smell of pine needles that were all covering the road. Fall is definitely in the air, there is something special about Fall the pine needle smells, every now and again the faint smell of smoke from wood chimneys as the temperature changes. Chores change from getting ready for winter, planning changes at the barn (that would be the reason for not sleeping again). There is a very good feeling to having a wood shed full of wood cut for winter, the barn full of hay, the grain bin full and the worry of water not so strong in one's mind.
I am winning in my house renovation we are putting our two youngest boys in a room together it does seem we are going back a few steps because all our children had their own room. However now we can take the wall down that made our dining room into the 7th bedroom and open up our house again and it give it a nicer feeling. I will add I am not sure I have actually mentioned all these details to my husband but I am sure he is cluing in :) I do hope to have it done one day when he just comes home from work at supper. I did talk about it in general and I have learned don't wait just do it like for instance the lovely new loft bed with the twin bed underneath it for the boys that my brother and law and son's put together while my husband was at work. All done when he got home and no work for him:)It is a good thing he loves me. Well on that note off to conquer the day. Have a productive day

The view from our hotel room

Me in the Enchanted forest

Getting back to Normal

We are slowly getting back to normal from our two back to back weddings both turned out lovely they were fun and the brides looked great. Our last wedding was my friends we went to Three Valley Gap near Revelstoke, British Columbia an Old ghost town with a wonderful story to go with it. I will post a few pictures later. We also stopped at THE LAST SPIKE of the CN rail road and we visited the Enchanted Forest.
I have been slow at posting because my main computer has been in Kamloops since August 13 waiting for a new part it finally arrived the Saturday we went to pick it up and they put the part in while I waited an hour later it was done. So now no more excuses I need to work on my web sight, catch up on my bookkeeping Sigh... I hate bookkeeping it is like watching paint dry.
In the knitting department I am making a pair of fingerless gloves out of beautiful Alpaca blended with mauve silk. This blend is wonderful to work with it is fun to work with as it just glides through my fingers. I am still spinning my lovely Shetland and silk blend with the new Woolee Winder it takes longer to fill a Bobbin because it is so even you get way more wool on the bobbin it is amazing how good the Woolee winder makes your spinning look :)
I few posts back I had a wonderful surprise visitor a friend of my sisters it was so cool to think someone so far away was reading my story. "Hi Jane it is so nice to hear from you, I hope all is well and your children must be so grown up now."
This week we plan on deworming, lice powdering and feet and getting ready for a grain cycle to get the Ewes and Does ready for breeding season. I do hate having a job over my shoulders but it is best we get it done. My son and husband fixed the fence of our working pen yesterday that would be the one Johnny our Ram went through last breeding season to get to his girls.
Well to do chores Have a wonderful day.

My new wool dye from Mud River Angoras and my first attempt of dying with the new dyes.

Fun Times

We have had a busy time, my niece got married she was absolutely lovely she looked so pretty. It was a fun wedding the weather was great, everyone got along fine and they all seemed to be having a fun time. I have been visiting my brothers and sisters it all seems to be going by so quickly but I think it makes one appreciate the time together more.
Tomorrow I am going to our Spinning Guilds annual birthday party. I wasn't going to go because we have been so busy and we have to go Friday to another wedding but I know I will be disappointed if I do not go. So I am off in the morning with a vege plate my spinning wheel and a Present.
Tonight I finally spent some time working out at the rabbit pen I fixed a few cages and moved over our babies. I should have done it a lot sooner but I chickened out because my dad's dogs always get riled up when I move animals about and then they go rabbit hunting. So I watered down the electric fence and hope they stay put tonight. If I was to replace the rabbits the two dogs have gotten with ones bought from other breeders I would be well over the $2000.00 mark.
Tonight I received a lovely load of hay 144 bales of nice green hay that my dad bought. I just hope now we have enough to get through winter, total so far we have purchased 454 square bales and 13 round bales. If we did not have to feed hay during the summer months we would be so far ahead.
I am planning in the next two weeks to deworm, powder and feet, if I do it before September I will have the help before hockey starts. Once hockey starts that is it for any normal life we know until the end of next April.

Two more sleeps

Two more sleeps (as my niece would put it) to my niece's wedding. All the preparation she and her friends have done now is in the final count down. We are all very excited.
I have not written in my blog because my computer is in getting repaired and is waiting for a new CD Rom, plus it was extremely loud it is not quite 7 months old so I took it in for a check up.
The kids and I have been working around the house by cleaning rooms, painting, then all of them decided to turn their rooms around, so this is good getting ready for school....Sigh I do hate school. I love having my kids home I really hate to share them.
I finally got my Woolee Winder on only to find it cracked but I took too long to notice so I am pretty sure I can't send it back. I glued it and it seems to be holding. Oh my goodness you can spin and spin and spin you never have to stop. I have found it takes a few things to get used to, when it gets to either end of the bobbin I have trouble feeding it on and then it over spins so I am not sure how to fix that. I will just keep spinning away.
I am planning my pre winter jobs around the farm I would like to do some work to the barn build a gate or two and cover up some openings. It really helps to be ahead of the game for lambing and kidding. This year we will be adding in the Alpaca's hopeful due around April / May.
Well since sleep is not happening I am off to start a project. Take Care and Make Wonderful Memories.

RENOVATION
Our newly painted kitchen cupboard and our back entrance is also newly painted and new gravel.

Local Forest Fire on phase two of the Coquihalla

Busy days

We are definitely too busy here. Today was haircuts in town at 9:30 am, my 4 year old niece visiting, my oldest son has a friend over to visit, my youngest daughter went to visit a friend, my youngest son is at a birthday party, drove to Kamloops to pickup my husband. On the trip to kamloops I saw the result of 4 accidents and some of the vans had nothing left of them or their air bags hanging out it was horrible then I saw two different ambulances, police and the jaws of life. I saw a man hit a lady in a field as we were driving by and said to my husband what should we do, so we went to the store to buy our bread and thought we would see if it was still going on when we came out but they were gone it was horrible not knowing what to do. I have never seen that before and how do you know what a 911 call is. However before all that as I was driving into town and had a young yearling bear run right out in front of me I slammed on my breaks and do you know how long it takes your vehicle to slow down. Oh my goodness my stomach muscles hurt from either slamming on the breaks or tension. All I could do was tell him to hurry I would have hit in head on. The poor little fellow he was lovely, very shiny and black and really quite quick. I think I heard he was the little guy with no mom. Then on the way home it was raining so hard we could hardly drive unreal, crazy and of course the rain missed our property again.
Amid all my stress I did pull out my very disappointing sock I am trying to knit, to bad you have to make two of them.
We did have a great visit with my Great niece she was very good not too home sick and I think she had fun with the girls.
I am waiting to hear from my mom she is in Vancouver picking up my Uncle from England so we are all on pins and needles until he lands.
I am off now to see if I can put on Woolee Winder on my spinning wheel I have had it about a month and I still have not had time to deal with it. So have a Wonderful evening.

To my family if you leave a message I do get them but if there is to much personal info. I won't publish them I will just keep them to myself.

This is what I have been doing

I have been building this patio I used 40 2 feet by 2 feet cement pads plus 24 smaller ones then I cemented in between, bought a new patio set and a lovely fireplace. I could hardly move for a couple of days but it is really nice and less water on the lawn now.
I am extremely excited my brother and his wife from Austin, my sister and her husband from Maui, my uncle and girlfriend from England plus my brother and sister and their families from here in BC are all coming home!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They will be here for my niece's wedding. Oh my goodness I can hardly contain my excitement.
Knitting has been on the back burner as I garden, I love to work outside. However I did learn a new trick with a two sided crochet hook I might take awhile to master it.

Summer is going by way to fast

The Summer is going by way to fast before you know it we will be heading back to school. We have two upcoming weddings, company coming from Texas, England and maybe Maui it will be nice to have all my brothers and sisters home for a while.
My mom was reading my blog and told me my grammar was off. I have a terrible time writing in this little box and I usually am writing later at night or I have someone telling me a story. I also do not always go back and read it over I am lucky to get written the first time.
I have been doing a lot of yard work and it seems to be coming along nicely. When I get a moment I will post photos.
Last night my two sons and I went up to our top part of our property and were rummaging around (we never took the dogs because the day was just about over) when I was getting ready to head back down the boys wanted to stay up a little longer so I was just about to drive off when I saw quite a large black bear right where we had been not even 50 feet away. He never payed any attention to us but my youngest son was scared and then we just headed down to the house. We had no idea he was even there. We had heard the Alpcas's warning call but we thought it might because we were up top but a lesson learned always look when the Alpaca's start up.

Broke and Tired

I am broke and tired tonight. I did two trips to town and one to Kamloops today. I took my children school shopping they all need clothes. The girls actually come to think of the boys too all Love to shop they have lovely outfits to show for it. I really enjoy buying them things but near the end I stress because of the money, my husband is very good about it poor bugger works so hard and we spent it all today :)
I like them to have nice in style clothes but with six we always have to buy what is on sale and not too grown up. However I think we did a very good job just some school supplies and new shoes.
I did not buy, not one ball of wool, needles or knitting gadget... Do knitting magazines fit under that category or a lovely new knitting bag (photo's to follow later).
Well I am off to bed I must be awake by 3 am to make sure my son gets up for work he is doing very well today he worked from 4 am to 8pm quite the rude awakening for him but it is only two days a week.

Progress

Nothing feels better than projects getting done. The fence is built the gate is built and ready to hang. The new arch is built and stained I just need to add the wire for the plants to cling to. I am very bad for starting new projects in my front yard I am already thinking of my next step and I will keep you posted. My dad tells me I must not decorate the whole property but I tell him Why not. However who is the silly person out there all day doing chores :)
My niece phoned me and she wants me to sing at her wedding I told her give me two weeks and if I can't do it then she has to find back up, I am just to busy to practice. Well I must go and start the day I have to run into town, so much to do and so little time.