In loving memory of Rosemarie "Rosey"

 
Rosie past away yesterday we have had her since she was three weeks old. She was a wonderful pig a wonderful pet. I will miss her so much. I love you Rosie. Isn't it funny how a little animal comes into your life and makes a huge impact, we have lost so many lately it is rather depressing. 

  

I didn't realize it had been so long since I have posted but I have been busy. Today I wrapped presents and baked cookies for the cookie exchange on Sunday however I don't think I will be able to go the cookie exchange but if I can't go I will send one of my darling's. I always start out with great ideas for my cookies but every year they are not too fancy but I will keep trying.
My oldest son and my youngest daughter just headed outside to go in the hot tub ( in bathing suits only and a towel of course)anyways it is up to -23 and they get out to the hot tub and it must have turned off from all the rain and it was only 67 they just flew in from outside cursing and yelling. It was very funny not too much sympathy here.
When it gets cold here today was -25 it makes you wonder why we have so many animals it is very hard to keep them all warm and water for the rabbits is totally a night -mare. I have decided to cut down on the sheep and goats but I have to decide which way to go, so time to do some searching and figure out what I am to do.
It is so hard to believe it is December on Friday time is going way to fast.
Our cat Simon is missing she never goes very far if she is not on the back door step she is in the wood shed so I have a feeling maybe the Coyote might have gotten her. The last few days we have had a Coyote hanging around watching us from the next level of our property. Well must run have a wonderful evening.

What Happens When Two Boys & Two Dogs Take Your Camera

  

  

  

Add on to these photos another 20 pictures of Puppies rolling and playing. They are very cute Cowboy is the braver of the two Berton tries to be brave but somtimes he just can't keep up to the street wise Cowboy. Cowboy was found and brought into my mom's store and she then brought him home to us. Berton was born and raised for his first six weeks on a very quiet farm.

  

 
CowBoy and Berton 

  

 
Finished project 

 
Our new sign! We are pretending to be Great Cattle Ranchers... does 4 cows count? 

 
On our walk today with our little niece, no snow but it is still pretty. 

 
Glen, Heide, Lisa and Konrad

Happy Holidays 

I consider myself quite clever I can multi task as good as any one actually I can do it better I can get so much done in a day I can spin knit sew etc. However did you know I can not brush my teeth and comb my hair at the same time no matter how many times a try switching hands also I cannot brush my teeth and clean the bathroom. When I brush my teeth that's it! That is all I can do... Very frustrating. I just thought you might want to know that.
The Poncho is finished it is outside drying when most of the water is off it I will bring it in and lay it out to get it's shape. I just hope the dogs don't find it first. Now to start the next project.
I am feeling quite Christmasy (not sure if that is a word but that is how I am feeling)my oldest daughter put the bows up the driveway we have the back door step decorated it looks really pretty. Our Christmas scene is up in the kitchen which I will post later. Yes, I know it is a little early so I decided to join our neighbors in the USA because they are starting their holiday season very soon so I too am decorating:) well must go pick up my daughter from a birthday party talk to you all soon.

Breaky Time For Babies

 
My very cute Angora bunnies having breakfast. 

New cages waiting to be installed

  

New Cages

  

Rain, rain, rain, snow and more rain!

Our weather is very crazy you never know what you will wake up to in the morning. My husband is a Logging truck driver and he is driving with three sets of chains on and yet the loggers beside them had been shut down for too much rain and mud. Go figure. I took advantage of the no frost today and went and dug a tunnel under the fence from my Alpaca pen all the water runs in their direction so I had to go dig or buy them a boat. I try to analyze the Alpaca girls to see if them have been bred but I still can not notice they look a little fuller but then their coats have grown on them. I guess come April and may I will find out.
I few posts back I wrote about taking the scenic route not bad luck well we definitively take the scenic route yesterday we were told our book keeper was coming from Kamloops for 4:0 clock so fine. It means a lot of shuffling, now for most people no big deal for us bid deal. First arrange a pick up for the kids at the bus stop, then arrange for my husband to get home on time which in turns totally screws up his day and the people he hauls for and then add a broken hose, no air, flat tire, tire repair man in a meeting, cell phone breaking down etc (that was just his day) My oldest son had to make arrangements to go from dry land training to some peoples house who only just met us, get picked up fed supper try to do his homework get taken to the arena and stay in town until 9:30pm. My middle son had to eat supper at 4pm arrange for my dad to go take him to hockey and then we would pick him up. I could go on with this but you get the picture. So the book keeper does not show and then at 6:30 I get a phone call that the book keeper might come on Tuesday, no phone call no e-mail or fax and yet I talked with them last week. Welcome to our world we do quite fine with our life it is silly stuff like that, that screws us up. So we get to do it all again to day and all of this just to tell us how much we have to pay the government.
I have sewn together the poncho for my niece to give as a gift but I am a little worried it might be too long so I am going to wash it in hot water and give it a little felt job wish me luck. Worse case is she has to buy something else for her gift and me I get a new Poncho. It looks quite nice I won't post a picture until it is finished.
Well I must run off to parent teacher interviews but first a shower because I smell like the barn. Have a wonderful day.

What a nice weekend only two hockey games and we all went to the one out of town to Salmon Arm we woke up at 5am my oldest son played at 10:45. We watched his game then went on to Kamloops and I bought my oldest two girls new dresses for the Christmas formal and my youngest daughter says she needs more pants so she got a new pair of jeans. I sent the boys with their dad to the sports stores because if their dad had been there no shopping would have been done.
There has been not too much knitting done but I have finished the poncho I just have to put it together and work on the neck and tassels. I am working on a toque ( not sure on that spelling but it is better than saying hat)
I am still hanging cages it is a lot of work to get them even and try to use my small space the best way I can. I am tempted to use this shed until I can move them into my sheep barn but I am not sure what the best thing to do is. However knowing me I will change it and make a whole bunch of more work for myself.
I have plans to change my yard around my house this spring I would do it now but I have to wait until all my roses are dormant, so as soon as I can work the ground in the spring I will start. What I do I keep a book for all my great ideas (the stuff that keeps me working until all hours of the night).
On our travels I love to look at people's homes and if they are scruffy It makes me want to come home and clean and change things. I think my husband just dreads when I get a new idea he thinks a home should only have grass not me... Roses, flowers, arches, ornaments, roses, flowers , roses, flowers I think you get the picture.

My What big ears you have... the better to hear you my dear.

  

  

 
Our new electric heater in our bedroom, yes Mandy I bought the red one too. 

Rain Rain Rain

  

 
The puddles from our huge rain 

My Mom's Birthday

  

The sun was shining and the sky was blue which was a nice change for awhile. I took full advantage of the nice day and worked out side for most of it until I had to go to town for my youngest daughters volley ball game which she one. I also drove to town tonight to take my middle daughter to the high school where she is being a "tecky" or is it techy any way whatever that is she is one for the school variety show. I was dreading waiting in the van for 3 hours but a neighbor from up the road offered to bring her home so I got to come home after a quick visit with my mother in law. I got straight to work on my books and I am all up to date! So no knitting in today's time. I am nearly finished the knitting process of my project once I am finished I have to assemble it and put on tassels. I hope all is well but I must go to bed it is amazing how fast the night time goes my alarm goes off way too soon.

Finished all finished. The last of my cages are built I finished the last two today in a terrible windy wet cold storm. So I now have to figure out how I am going to hang them but no rush I can do that in snow. I actually just wish someone else would do it for me but I do believe it will be me hanging them. The total cages it gives me is 28 - 30 new cages I just hope after all that work I can hang them like I want to.
Yesterday was a sad day we lost our little Yorkshire Terrier dog "TY" he was only 5 years old sometimes one wonders why we have pets when it so hard when they die. I also lost a little Angora kid the weather is so hard on them all this rain then freezing and every year it seems to be the same. I wish you could see the rain right now it is just crazy outside I hope it is filling up every pond every lake and well. This type of rain is quite amazing for us we may get one or two good storms a year but we are getting a good batch of rain this last month. Well I must get supper ready Hockey picture night tonight it is crazy we must be absolutely on time, if we are even a minute late they do not wait and you miss the team picture. For someone with one or two children no big deal just go for your time have a photo and leave but for larger families we are there the whole time and they don't want you hanging the around the arena but where do we go...

I have been building cages like crazy. Yes! My wire has finally arrived and my hands are rough cut up and blistered not very lady like at all. I was pretty brutal at first I wrecked so many clips on the wire and I finally was getting the hang of it and then I had to go to hockey. So I hope to get another one finished tomorrow but I actually don't think I will get time until Tuesday and then I bet there will snow. I have done very little spinning but more in the knitting department. I will update more later must go and put wood on the fire. Have a Good Night

 
George the crazy cat. 

Last night I went to my middles son's band concert it was quite good it is amazing how just under 2 months they can play songs. The middle school has an amazing turn out of parents there must be 300 or so guests. I think the band teacher mentioned around 177 ( not quite sure now) students are in the grade 7 and 8 band. My son was really sweet I could actually see him through the crowd and he kept smiling at me, the whole evening I was waiting on him to bail but he did just fine.
Today parent teacher interviews, packing for my boys tournament and I finally received my wire now to build cages. There has not been too much knitting going on my last few times in the arena I have been busy or had to sit through a meeting because the boys on the team can't get along and at another meeting I had to sit politely and listen to the teacher and at the concert I thought it would be rude. The one meeting is about my oldest son going to Quebec on a French class exchange so I thought I had better write down a few notes so I would remember to tell my husband all about it and my son goes mom don't write you'll embarrass me. So at the hockey meeting I did not knit so I would not embarrass him and he goes later "Oh it would make no difference to me (if I knit) I don't care no big deal " Sometimes I just can't win. Well off to start the day have a Good One

I am finished my vest YEAH it is not too hard to make but it is the next step to making something one can wear. It is very exciting to finish a project it is a great feeling. However I wonder if I wear it out to the barn if my Ram will notice...
The joys of being a hockey family we have been running crazy all weekend I am just waiting on kids to get ready then off we go again. Yesterday we were up by 5am and not home again with hockey all finished until after 10 pm. This weeks we had 21 ice times and 12 of those games most of them 1 1/2 long with an hour before to be there.
So I am onto a good start with my new Poncho it is hard to come up with colours. I love colour it is so fun to match it up but it does consume a lot of time. I am hoping my wire arrives this week for my cages so I can get those built up before it gets too cold. Anyways must run the ice is calling us. Have a Wonderful day

Winter Scene

 
This is a picture of our first frosty snow fall I am trying a new way to publish photos, if this works it way easier. 

Crazy weather
First we get wind howling wind, then we get up to -13, then we get snow, then we get more snow and then we get rain... All within the week and I will tell you all that adds up to one thing MUD. Mud that is tramped through my house mud that makes my sheep and Angora goats look horrible.
I am a very scared winter driver I had my son's shop class putting on my winter tires just in time for when I picked up the van and it was snowing pretty good. All the way home I got a throbbing headache just from stress it is horrible to be a scared driver it really puts a damper on things.
I am working on two projects one is a poncho made out of Angora it may be a project in progress as I am sure I will have to stop and spin in between. Another one is a poncho to make for my niece for her to give somebody for Christmas. So I must not be slow and get straight to that one.
Last night I got out of hockey duty I sent my oldest son with the neighbors I had to stay home and clean my kids room with me gone every night, every weekend and working outside or in town during the day one can get behind real fast. However I won their rooms are clean, cupboard's cleaned out toys put away. I really like my house clean there is nothing nicer than waking up and walking through a clean house. Well off to find coffee with my mom and dad.