Time to move

Today is the day we start moving! Of course things haven't quite gone to plan but I am really excited about 'moving' forward. We are one our way to our new house via a rental for awhile. Moving twice in 6 months may sound crazy to some but I am trying to keep it all in perspective. At least I have a house to keep warm for the winter, and we own a house that we will move into in the next 6 months. Some people are not so lucky. I read on someones facebook comment the other day, "If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,We would grab ours back!" I am grateful for the things in our life right now and I look forward to what is to come. (Please remind me of this tomorrow when I am pulling my hair out packing and unpacking boxes!!!)
So I will be distracted with moving for the next few days but I am so excited to return to writing here real soon. In all the chaos I have been working on a few projects and I am excited to share. Have a happy weekend and I will catch up with you all soon.

Golfing bliss

With another busy week behind us, it is so nice to have the opportunity to look back and reflect on it. Our time has been full, working, packing, cleaning, birthday parties, get togethers, and welcoming the cooler weather.
I work at the local golf course and when we took the boys there last week the golf pro noticed that the kids didn't have their own kid size clubs. His kids are older now and he graciously brought their old clubs for my boys. We were all thrilled to bits and so grateful. As we weren't able to make it back out to the golf course the kids turned the front yard into their own driving range and what fun they had! They spent hours seeing how far they could each hit the plastic balls, trying to hit them into cups and around other obstacles.

We were also spending the morning with my beautiful niece Arwynn. She happily played on the sidelines and occasionally gathered up balls for the boys. Then after they were all golfed out, it was time for the sand pit. Meanwhile, I managed to finish off a dishcloth I was knitting, sitting in the warm sum watching over the little ones. It was lovely.

The dads went for a mountain bike ride.....

We bought a utility trailer for all our trailering needs

Sunday I was called to arms early in the morning to go for a horse ride to Rossland. Well, of course I said sleepily and pack up the kids and headed off. Daddy was spending the morning golfing with friends. The boys played with Alex and we were off.....happy days.

The perfect Sunday combination: Betty and the morning sun!

Finding My Feet

"I'm finding my feet. I'm finding my toes.

Toes are good for balance you know.

I'm finding my feet. I'm finding my toes.

As on this journey, forward I go."

I find myself this week, finding my feet, so to speak. We are in the process of preparing to move. In the process of dealing with banks, Realtors, tenants, landlords and a whole mix of paperwork, deadlines, hope and disappointment. Sometimes even the most carefully laid plans come, well, unstuck. The direction seemed so straight and clear but we have found we are on a short detour. Life is all in how we handle it right? So I am trying to enjoy the new view.

This past week Harrison started grade one at Glenmerry Elementary.

How exciting! I wish I could say I took a picture of him off to his first day, or his first week even, but it didn't quite happen. I feel like all the emotion of the first day of school, I did when we were in Australia. I was really proud and happy to see how excited he was to return to full days. I did not see any fears or worries from him at all. So today on his first day of his second week and the first day he braved the corridors on his own, I took a picture. And what a handsome very grown up 5 year old I have.

He has a lovely teacher, Mrs Partridge. He is also in a split class with 11 grade one students and 9 grade two students. He is enjoying himself and loves his new friends, "I just don't seem able to remember their names mum!"

Sam being the very big 3 year old he is had his first day of nursery school today. He will attend Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 12 - 2:30pm. A nice little break from mummy and some welcome noise and activity to help fill the void Harry left when he started school. Sam painted and crafted and played the afternoon away. I am so glad he likes it there.

I took a well deserved break on Sunday and headed to the Garlic Festival in New Denver with my dear friend Krista ( I know I am talking about New Denver again!!!) As you can imagine there was heaps of garlic to see. I didn't realise how many different varieties there are. It was pretty amazing. There were lots of colourful market stalls and it was lovely to walk around and take in the different sights and smells. I picked up some garlic of course, some garlic sauce that was originally developed as a cold tonic but doubles as a cooking sauce!! I found a cute shirt and a beautiful woven basket. I have wanted one of these baskets for a long, long time. I thought it was about time to treat myself. What about the shirt you say? Well clothing is a necessity you know!

On Friday we decided to catch up with some friends at the local golf course where I work. We thought we would introduce the kids to golf by playing on the putting green and driving range. It was a lovely evening finished off with a lovely dinner. The kids and adults a like had a great time. I highly recommend it to you to try with the little ones. I think next time though I will try to find some kids size clubs!

Sam eager for this new adventure

Arwynn Darwin Sweetheart helping Sam get the balls out of the "oh hole"

Here comes another one Arwynn!

Harry lining one up and......

Cracks it! Wohoo!!!

Sam struggling with his over sized club!

Catching up

I wanted to share with you some images from our last camping adventure to New Denver, but first give you a quick update on what is happening with us. We have sold our house!!! It is wonderful news and now we are dealing with all things related to selling, relocating etc. We had the pleasure of seeing Harry's new school yesterday and meeting his lovely teacher. I think he will be very happy there. In all the chaos I am trying to finish my gift for Melanie's new baby due in October. I know I still have a lot of time but with the move and all that goes with that, I would feel better to complete it sooner rather than later. Kevin started his new job today. He was excited and ready to go, which is always great to see. I think this is going to be a wonderful fit for him. For me, my work is usually very busy with functions and weddings in September. Not the greatest of timing for me but I am sure it will all work out. Functions are so much fun to work with people generally in high spirits. Almost like we are all celebrating and fare welling the summer. Only another few weeks until we welcome the cooler months of Autumn....oh, to be cold again!
Oh, I also wanted to share with you a great book I found called "The Backyard Homestead" by Carleen Madigan. It shows you how to produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre! Can you imagine if everyone lived this way, how much better off our world would be. I am so excited about spending time with this book over the winter and planning for next Summer.
But for now I leave you with the pictures as promised and I will keep you updated on our adventures in the coming weeks. Wish me luck!

Up, up, up we go to Idaho Peak

Master Sam doing fantastically well hiking like a big kid!

Looking down on the trail we have just hiked up

Introducing the Teasdale family and Dave & Gail to the Galena Trail

Man this is fun!

Dave & Gail

We went a little further up the trail and found the aftermath of the massive flood

An emotional time

As I sit here trying to think of how to start this post, I feel anxious, happy, nervous, scared, excited, tired, humbled and somehow calm. I am not sure if that is at all possible, but somehow, in the exhale and inhale of my breath, all these emotions are passing over me like a wave. So much has been happening in the past few weeks. I feel like our path is coming up to one of those forks. To the place where you decide how the next stage of your life is going to go, mixed in with some good old fate. There is so much that we are unable to control and we are just sitting, waiting for the direction. Our home currently and finally has an offer on it. It is subject to a building inspection and finance clause, set to be lifted September 1st. It is so thrilling and so scary that we may actually sell this house. There by comes the fork again, where will we go from here? What will our new home look like? Can we start looking already? So many questions, so many answers. I am trying to take things one step at a time. Trying to put all the things I have learnt over the past months into practice. There is no point in becoming overwhelmed with everything, rather I am hoping to enjoy the ride this time. I have in the past spent so much of my time living in fear. I have been chipping away at it over the years and I started to shake those shackles a few years ago when my mother gave us a bridge climb in Brisbane - I was afraid of heights! Was I going to let that stop me? What an opportunity just handed to me. So I bit the bullet and went and it wasn't bad at all. I realised an important lesson that night, that sometimes, you just have to push through and take the first step. I had a loving man standing behind me with his hand gently placed on my back for comfort, support and love, just like he does everyday. Coming to Canada and taking the huge step of moving away from my beautiful family and friends was another steep climb that gets easier every step or day that passes. Riding Betty too has been huge! Testing boundaries and challenging fears from my childhood (I was thrown a couple of times as a young kid and my childhood horse, although lovely, was very stubborn and I had difficulty handling him). Recently, I was tested again with mountain biking, I had a choice - be afraid and don't try or give it everything and enjoy it! Well, I certainly enjoyed it and it feels so liberating to not be afraid. The fear was suffocating me and now I feel free. I am learning to apply this theory to a very uncertain but exciting time. Wish me luck!!!


This past week was also the anniversary of the passing of my darling nephew Dylan Paul Ludbey. He left us 4 years ago in body but I still feel his amazing spirit with me each day. The pain is just as raw as it was then and this year for some reason seemed so much stronger. I spent 2 days just feeling it and staying with it where I previously would have run. It hurt like hell but I feel a lot better for it. I am not saying that the pain has gone. I don't believe that will ever happen. Things just need to be felt. Dylan had a spunk, a wisdom that touched me so greatly and all those that knew him. I love you my dear, dear boy and I miss you so very much.

Thank you for letting me ramble on. I felt like I really needed to share. I miss my friends, I miss my family. So this helps. Thank you.

Huckleberries and one clumsy Mumma

This weekend I had another berry picking experience. I do love huckleberries. We decided to go later in the evening, my girls and I. We went into the trees searching for the mother load of berries. We had 2 dogs with us as we were in heavy bear country, obviously the bears like berries too! I didn't realise though that dogs like huckleberries, and dogs will always find the mother load first. So the moral of the story is, follow the dogs. I wish I could have taken a photo of the seemingly endless bushes, loaded with berries and us trying to pick quickly so that the dogs did not devour them all first. It was a happy time, fingers stained with purple, chatting and laughing. Then those dark, dark clouds rolled in above us and threatened to ruin our fun. We decided to stay through the sprinkling rain, not wanting to leave this heavenly place. But then it started to get heavier and the lightening started to flash across the sky. We made a dash for the truck through the fallen logs and think brush. I have to say, I am not sure exactly when it happened but I have really become a big klutz! I was falling and tripping but all the time being very aware not to spill my very full bucket. No, I was not going to make the same mistake as last time. I ran back along the road to the truck, being the first to arrive I thought I would pack up the tailgate and get things organised. I placed my bucket lovingly down and moved the cooler and .....well, I bet you can guess what happened! Yes, my bucket was knocked to the ground and sprayed across the dusty road, to the sounds of my screaming "Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo".

The girls presently arriving back to the truck did what all good friends would do - laugh. And watch me scramble to pick them up. Oh dear, is this aging or have I just hide my clumsy nature all these years, really, really well?! The good news is I was able to rescue almost all the huckleberries, albeit a little dirtier than they started.

I think I could muster one more picking session this year and hopefully, you know, third time lucky, I will make it home without dropping my precious bucket! Wish me luck!!!!!

My beautiful stash of frozen berries....mmmmmm......

The mirror

Today I awoke late, and as I lay there trying to wake up with children and our dog climbing all over me, I thought “I feel different”. I looked in the mirror and I look different. I stared at the mirror and this older, contented women was looking back at me. When did that happen? It got me thinking about all the labels people are so happy to place on one another. I thought of all the labels I would have – mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, part cow-girl, part hippie, part domestic diva (still trying to find the other part to this one!!) part environmentalist, part musician, part yogi, and so it goes on. What an eclectic and strange mix I have become.....isn’t that awesome. I find it so freeing to be all these things and so very much more. What a bore it must be to put oneself into a little box when there are so many out there to explore. Harry was asking me if something was cool yesterday and I thought; well only you know that darling. And isn’t this true? Being cool, well who gets to decide what cool is. I think I am pretty cool but the next person may not. I wonder where we all got so obsessed in chasing this phantom ‘cool’ ideal. As I was staring at myself in the mirror, I had such a warm, contented feeling with who I had become in my short 31 years and all the things I had created and accomplished. I really am living some happy days. I hope yours are happy too and when you look in the mirror next, you just might be surprised at the person staring back at you! Take the time to look, to really look. Have a great weekend.