10 / 52 weeks

52 weeks of daily life in pictures: trials and celebrations,
the extraordinary and mundane -- 
whatever is unique to the week. 
Join me if you like.

 

** Celebrating our wedding anniversary, moments spent reveling in alone-couple-time together - over candlelight and enjoying a scrumptious meal at a waterfront restaurant.

 

** Ashes to ashes, dust to dust...

It's official! The season of Lent is here in our Liturgical year. Somehow I was spared the usual (entire) forehead finger etched cross for the first time in a long time, but still, it's a reminder for our entire family to note and reflect upon.

** The journey to Calvary begins...

** A typical day, schooling with the younger two at the kitchen table. It's the spot these days with sunshine filtering and brightening our wintry spirits, and truthfully it's beginning to tempt us outdoors even more. Soon, we will be picnic blanket in hand with our noon time meal outdoors.

Spring is fast approaching as nature unfolds its evidence to us of that fact. The deer in the meadow are gathering by herds, chipmunks and squirrels are running around the forest, footprints in the snow offer evidence of wild rabbits on our property, and one very well fed coyote was spotted in the farmer's fields having a meal the other day. 

We still have about a good foot of snow on the property, up to three feet pushed to the sides of the driveway and roadways, and a bit of icy packed snow in the crevices of the rooftop. But temperatures and daylight savings are tattling on seasonal changes acoming. From -10C - + 9 in one day, the great thaw seemed evident for a while.

 

** Supplementing with a computer program, she's working on her math skills and coming right along with newly gained confidences for her (quote) "worst favorite subject".

** The victorious and thrilling season game ending for both players and parents observing and cheering from the sidelines. The boys roared with jubilation when realizing the final score of 4-2 by throwing themselves into this group huddle above.

 

Happy boys celebrated and looked forward to another tournament last weekend in Niagara on the Lake. They didn't win that one, but were greatly challenged by a whole group of rep playing teams to work harder on their play and take them to a faster game play. Ice Hockey season for this year is now officially over.

** Freshly groomed ski runs had me suddenly thinking of my brother in Australia. He used to live at Whistler before marrying, grooming ski runs by night and teaching by day. Praying for them during all the recent tragedies Australia had to endure, somehow he suddenly just popped into my thoughts this day. Loving and missing him and his family from afar.

(Padded up and looking like the Micheline man, this one's for you Joyce :)

** More winter activities offered FABULOUS hours, all in the nick of time!

Some people have asked; "What's the draw?"  

All I can say is "When in Rome, do like the Romans and when in Ontario, do like the Ontarions! 

Actually, there are plenty of winter activities one can participate in here, when weather permits, if weather permits and how weather permits! We added a few different winter activities to our repertoire by fluke after noting a few irresistible coupons offered on WAGJAG.

So, if ONLY for the personal adventurous experiences I'm now able to do while in my fifties, no longer the one who volunteers to remain at home with the younger ones (because they are all old enough to participate with us), and in the end, being able to say "I tried that, and (shock me!) I actually did that!". 

Perhaps these adventurous experiences will never pass my/our way again. That's okay. Being able to try them just even once allows these family activities presenting themselves well  worth the effort to gain all those special memories they never fail to produce. 

I'll be detailing more on these two activities (snowshoeing & snowmobiling) soon, and can only share with you there were many anxieties pouring forth beforehand for my hubby coming along for the snowmobile tour, worrisome medical "what ifs", and other such things. After the fact, all was a complete SUCCESS in every single sense of the word.

Perfect weather, perfect everything, no complications, and happy everyone resulted.

  ** I bought a crisscross shredder and I've developed a love/hate with this machine!

On sale for half the price at Staples, it was either going to be hours of shredding ahead, or hours of burning, both time consuming options. Since my firepit is still under a mound of snow out back, it was going to have to be hours of shredding as the only other option for the three foot stack of sensitive documents from work, all requiring proper safe disposal.

How this ended up being my duty was uncertain, but all I can say is the project is now fully complete, thanks to three people offering to walk back and forth several times an hour to shred for a time until the machine became heated and required another cooling break for the millionth time.

Six large recycling bags are now in our possession and instead of leaving them all at the roadside for recycling pickup, we found two ways to recycle them in an even better way. Stay tuned.

** Finally, it was Pony Pal Club time again, and the girls were having a blast again crafting, eating, sharing favorite horse books, and much more. Good times...

 

Head on over to Barbara's to check out the invitation to join the 52 week photography link-up party.