Remind you of anyone???

Dorians full time job is holding the floor down in front of the wood stove.

Where can I find a job like that?

Our neighbor is selling this ....machine.... we would love to buy it to plow our driveway, wouldn't that be fun!

My little sleeping beauties!

Knitting and Borscht.

Our little nook of the Kootenays is famous for its Doukobour History. They have a long history originating from Russia and settling and settling in Saskatchewan, then eventually coming to BC as they were against going to war. Originally they were vegetarians, but the children now eat whatever they want. So of course, these Russian grammies make the most amazing food. Especially borscht. In our town there is a tiny little restaurant called Weezies. There are five tables and it is always packed. They serve borscht, vareniki and pyrihi, all of which I probably have misspelt. I think I just misspelt that too. Whenever someone comes to visit, one of the requests is inevitably....can we go to Weezies????

We also have a little heritage museum were you can see how the Doukobours lived when they first arrived. In one building there is a little pamphlet, you can purchase for a loonie that has some traditional Doukobour recipes! Of course in this phamplet is a recipe for borscht, and I quote "Serves 12 hungry borscht fanatics- and there should be leftovers to freeze." So I thought it was a good wintery time to make a cauldron full of borscht!

And for all you Weezie fans out there.....it was amazing....possibly a little better then weezies. I know. You guys think I'm exagerating, well I can prove it. There is lots to sample.....oh wait, as of today there is only one jar left. Sorry, I'm sure the next batch will be just as tasty!!!!




But I will post the recipe here, for all who would like to try it on there own! I made a few changes, so I will try to change the font color to show that.

Borscht

1/2 cup butter

2 onions chopped

6 cups canned tomatoes

1/2 cup green peppers, cut up

1/2 cup fresh dill, finely chopped

8 cups finely grated cabbage

12 cups water

1 tbsp salt

8 medium sized potatoes peeled and halved

1/2 cup carrots, finely diced

1/2 cup beets, diced

2 cups tomato juice

1/2 cup whipping cream (I used the whole carton of 250ml whipping cream)

finely chopped green onions and fresh dill.

at the end I felt something was missing, so I referred to other recipes and found they call for vinegar, so I added a healthy sploosh, probably about half a cup, and I really think this is what made it over the top delish!

Melt butter in large casserole dish. (And do use butter...not margerine, oh yummmmm) Add onions and cook at low heat for 5 minutes. Add canned tomatoes, peppers, dill and cabbage. Cook at moderate heat for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid browning.

Meanwhile, bring salter water to a boil in a large pot. Add tomatoes, carrots and beets, and return to a boil. Add tomato juice. Simmer until potatoes are cooked. Remove potatoes and mash with cream.

Add casserole dish mixture, once it has finished cooking, to the pot along with the mashed potatoes, dill and onions. Season with salt and pepper.

This time I used one package of fresh dill from Safeway, next time I think I will use two. Also next time I will mash potatoes AND carrots and beets. The chunks were kind of weird....beets that had lost all their color...strange and not appetizing.

Everybody should definitly try this recipe, and don't try to half it, if you don't have freezer room, give some away, but if you decrease this recipe, you will be kicking yourself after you taste it!

Tom and I have finished some knitting projects! I these are gifts, so I will post pictures, but I won't say anything more!

Annnnnnnd.......we're back.

Last Friday was my own personal horror movie.

Picture this:
Youngish, okay, middleage pretty girl, okay, middleage girl that was once cute in her younger years....
Nevermind, a lady. A lady on two very very dark acres. Alone on her two very very dark acres for the first time ever! Her husband has gone away for the weekend! But she's okay. She's independent. Lots to keep her busy. Tick tock tick tock....is it bedtime yet....nope only 7:15. Yikes. Okay play with the dogs, lets dogs out. Watch some tv, is it bedtime yet? Nope, only 8:05. So this lady decides to go online and do some blogging. Have I mentioned dial up before? She turns on her computer. Leaves for 15 minutes, comes back, no dial tone? What the? She tries again. Still no dial tone? She checks the cord, yup, everything is connected. Hmph.
She goes to the phone....insert scary music here...NO DIAL TONE? WHAT THE? Okay. We're okay. (Insert dogs barking crazily at the windows at unseen objects outside).
She gathers up the phone number for Telus and her husband in calgary and runs to the car, and DRIVES to her neighbours house...which is only about 100 feet away, but did I mention the dark dark darkness yet? She goes to her neighbours house and barely makes it inside before something is breathing down her neck. Maybe it was just the wind. Maybe.
She phones Telus, the wonderfully kind understanding and sympathetic advisor on the other end of the line WON'T HELP HER UNLESS SHE HAS HER HUSBANDS DRIVERS LICENSE NUMBER!!!! WHAT THE!!!!!
She calmly drives back to her very scary very dark two acres, runs from the car to the house...finds the appropriate information and goes back to the neighbors and back on the phone to Telus, dials and gets a new operator...who requires only her .......ADDRESS!!!! WHAT THE .....!
The new kind operator that does not require information such as a sample of her husbands saliva, kindly makes her and appointment for ........EIGHT DAYS FROM NOW!!!!! And kindly tells her that the problem is most likely her phone or inside the house.
Not much happened in the next week. The lady was not attacked. There was not a mass murderer in her very dark two acres. She didn't die. She didn't get hurt. Her husband came home. She continued to go to work.

And this morning, she went to work, and on her coffee break, she dialed her house, to see if there was a dial tone yet, and lo and behold, there was!

You might think this scary story ends here! But there's more!

About 1/2 an hour later the lady is paged for line 1! Its the service technician from Telus! She hasn't even been to the house yet! Did I realize the phone was working now! YES I DID!!!! ARG.

So the phone fixed itself, a mere hour or two before the technician even got to our house.

The moral of the story is....
How many times can a girl scream at a Telus rep?
No, really, how many??? Please? Anyone?

Babies, balaclava's and zombies!

My gorgeous husband....back off ladies. Need I say more.

And my lastest stunning portrait. I would like to thank my sister, for capturing these wonderful pictures on film. Ang, your the best photographer I know.

On Monday we were doing some shopping at the Wholesale Club, and came across these balaclava for 95 cents, as if we could resist! We must keep our babies ears warm this winter! Obviously they love it, well, I'm sure they will love them when they realize how warm their ears are!

We are please to announce that both our children have passed level one obediance and are moving on to level 2! So smart!

I am posting lots of pictures today, because I am so excited that I finally figured out how to make my pictures be smaller bytes! Yay! Now it takes minutes to upload instead of hours!

My precious Angel. Tonight we played a new game...."Find it" with the Kong! I leashed them up so they couldn't see me, and then hid the kong and then let them go (one at a time of course!). Maddy loved it, she went crazy and was pretty good at! Until I hid it under a dish, and then she was a little stumped! Dorian loved it too, although I'm not sure if he really knew what was going on! But he was very happy when mommy helped him to find the kong! I'm sure he will get better with time!

My first auction experience was severly disappointing. No purchases were made. It was....just so disappointing.

Madeline and Dorian's Christmas Wish List

If anyone out there reading this post, should happen to be very handy with wood and woodworking tools.....well then this post is for you!

We borrowed this book from our class teachers and these games were in the book! Maddy and Dory quickly got out there pens and circled what they wanted just like back in the day when Angie and I would circle our wish list in the Sears catalogue.
There is a third one that I can't get to download with little blocks that have to be removed to find the treat.

This is also my first attempt at trying out our new to us scanner! It works pretty good! We're on the technology bullet train now! Hot diggity!

Tonight is Halloween, and we had one brave little group of children venture up our long long dark driveway! Brave! I get a little nervous myself when I have to walk up it in the dark, and I know what is at the other end! So one candy for the kids, and bag of candy minus 1 for us!

Here is a Sweet and Sour Pork recipe I make that I have been requested to share....it was original given to me from Tom's mom.

Sweet and Sour Pork

-cut pork into bite size pieces ( I like to buy a pork tenderloin, it's a good amount for 2-3)
-dip pork in a beaten egg.
-then dip pork in a mixture of 1 cup flour, 1tsp garlic salt. (The original recipe called for another tsp of salt, but we have found that wayyyy to salty)

Fry pork in oil until crispy.

In another pan saute one green pepper and one can of pineapple pieces ( save the juice for later).

Mix in a small bowl :
-1/4 cup ketchup
-1 tsp sugar
-2tbsp vinegar
-1 tsp worsteshire
-1 tbsp onion flakes

Add sauce to green pepper and pineapple, add reserved pineapple juice, as much as desired depending on how thick or runny you like. If too runny add some cornstarch to the pineapple juice.
Mix with pork.

Serve over rice!

It's better then takeout!

Wish me luck at the auction tomorrow!

And light a candle for Julien tomorrow, three months since he left a hole in my heart. Love you baby.

Cat in a box

As many of you know, earlier this fall, Tommy and I made Purla a fantastic Estate home. We made it Rancher style, so she wouldn't have to go up and down stairs in her arthritic years. The number of times she has enjoyed her new house, we could count on one hand. This week, however, she has decided that she prefers our home! She hovers outside the door, and the second we open it, MEOW, she walks on in! And MEOW, where's my dinner! So, being the good servant that I am, I promptly set to making her a bed. Out of the finest materials. Cardboard. And a pillow. She has moved on in.


Madeline, could give a rats pooper that there is a cat in the house. Dorian.....is in love.


With Purla and her cardboard box.





I can't seem to get this picture right side up, but you get the idea!


It takes 24 hours of surveilance to keep Dorian away from Purla and her bed. It makes us a little nervous, because I think she weighs about six pounds and Dorian is already 17 pounds! He pounces at her, and smells her and bats her and pushes her.....and she loves every second of it! Sometimes I wonder if this is the first entertainment she has had in her whole life!

So everynight night this week, she comes in as soon as we get home from work, and stays in all night curled up in front of the fire until the next morning when we shoo her out for the day.... god forbid, next stop, litter box. Yuck.

Tonight I also discovered that this Sunday at the auction house is all crafts and yarn!!!! Yippee! And then I realize plummeting back to earth......it's the same time as Dorian's class. Poopee. I'm working on a plan. Best case scenario, class will be cancelled due to Halloween the previous night....I am anxiously checking my email for updates. My fathers days projects are coming along swiftly now that my summer hiatus is over!

I will keep you posted about my possible first auction purchases ever!

The baby!

This was Dorian on Thanksgiving day! I think he was trying to get as close to the turkey as possible! He looks so tiny and that was only a week and a half ago! That day the turkey was bigger then him, but today I think he weighs more!

Mommy, Lingy and Dorian, having a snooze....well some of us having a snooze!

This is Dorian today! I took about 10 shots and this was the best we could do! I don't know how anyone photographs puppies! Impossible!

We may be in trouble.....

You know those dogs.....you smile at them from you car, they might be in a vehicle, with their head out an open window, or they might be in the back of a truck, hanging over the edge as far as they can, but where ever they are they are barking. All down the road Bark Bark Bark Bark, at nothing in particular. We used to laugh at these funny dogs, wondering what was going through their heads, what are they trying to say? And we would smile at Julien and Madeline and think about how smart our babies are! And quiet! Good car riders!

Life as we knew it, is over. I have a barker. I've tried him in his crate...bark bark bark, I tried him in the back seat, bark bark bark. I've tried him in the front seat, bark bark bark. At nothing, nothing at all! The only time he's not barking is when he is eating the seat belt, my purse, the shifter, or doing a headstand. Yeah, a headstand, not even joking a little bit. He's definitly not car sick, and he's not stressed out at all. He's just really really loud and verbal. And Madeline and I get out at the end of each trip, rolling our eyes at eachother, and Mommy takes an Advil and Lingy takes a quiet nap!

Now, everyone is laughing at us, I think! We are getting nervous already about the 7 hr drive to Calgary this Christmas! It's going to be a long long trip.

We had our second training class this weekend. The crazy lady who talks really loudly to her dogs immediatly had to "come and see Madeline", and then proceeded to talk to her. I find this incredibly awkward. Am I supposed to respond on her behalf? Make her talk? Talk to this womens dog? I chose none of the above, I just stared at her. And at the end of the class she did it again, saying goodbye to Madeline, but not us, so we just walked away. Strange.
But Maddy is a superstar, in class. What a show off! She will probably be advanced to level two soon, but home is a different story. We are working very hard on sitting on a mat, I think she's starting to get it.
Dorians doing great too, no sign of advancement though! We'll be in level one for a while. I think he's starting to understand what the click means though. That will help, for the first while he definitly wasn't putting it all together. He goes on the mat right away now, so I think he understands!

It's too late to post any pictures tonight, I will try another night. I need to take some new ones anyways!

And one last huge news!!!!! My sister is getting married! Yay! We are so excited! Congratulations Angie and Luc!

T3's, Advil and Penicillan, OH MY!

Gurg. I don't know how anyone can be addicted to prescription medicine. What a nightmare. After a full week of painkillers and prescriptions, today I am drug free. What a relief! So naturally I am celebrating with a glass of wine. By belated birthday present to me, as on my birthday I spent the evening on the couch with dozing in and out of sleep. PARTY!

I should really have read my last post because now I don't remember where I left off!

I will start again, bear with me if you have heard this before! I will make it short, I know, I said that last time and it was my longest post ever!

Monday was root canal day, it went good. Minimal tears, lots of pain. Glad it was over. That night I felt great. Flash forward to Tuesday at noon, all the sudden I had major shooting pains in my head from the tooth next to the one that had the root canal. So back we go, my dentist figured we had disturbed that tooth, which we already knew had some decay, so she quickly fit me in and gave me a quick temporary filling. And and nice extra big shot of Lanicain?? at the end so I could stay frozen for another good five hours. After the freezing wore off, there was still a good strong amount of pain, so back the next day, and she went ahead and did a root canal on that tooth as well. Madelines' birthday came and went in a T3 haze on the 30th. My promises of a special birthday this year sadly went down the toilet. I'm not sure she remembered her own birthday though, she doesn't seem too upset. A few bottles of advil, T3's and penicillan, a few naps during work and lots of soup later, I can proudly say that I am drug free! Minor soreness remains, mostly in the spot where all the needles went in. Next stop at the Dentist office, November 2nd! Yay, a month off!

Yesterday, for those who don't already know, was Julien's birthday. He would have been five years old. In his memory Tommy made pancakes and bacon, it was what Julien requested every year for his birthday supper. I think we will continue this yearly tradition. I can't believe he has been gone for two months. And I can't believe that life has gone on without him. I still feel guilty when I remember that his sweet face is gone and I shouldn't be happy without him. I hope someone let him in the kitchen to make some bacon in heaven. Maybe grandma whipped him up something special.

It was also an exciting day for Dorian and Madeline yesterday! First day of class! We are taking two seperate classes at 11 and 4, so we can give each baby our full attention. Dorian went first, naturally everyone oohed and ahhed over him. He did......okay.....for his first time! Very distracted, its good just to get him out though. Madeline was a star in her class. We had previously told the teacher that we have some issues we would like to work on, and she made a total lier out of us. She performed perfectly, was so polite, didn't react to anything. I kept saying, no really, she's not like this...really!!! She's a bad girl!!!! Ug.....humilating. In the best possible way of course.

We were good students and did our homework today. It's so funny to watch them, well mostly Madeline, when the light bulb comes on!

The classes we are doing uses clicker training. In class we did a click and treat for eye contact....no talking allowed. The first few times Madeline flicked a glance my way I kept missing it because the lighting was poor. Tommy kept saying, there there! You missed it! So when she realized what she was being clicked for, she started looking at me REALLY obviously! She would look away and then give me a huge obvious stare!!! So funny, she is a better student then I am trainer! Now the first thing she tries is eye contact....really long and really obvious!

And of course in both classes, there is the token super duper annoying person. Our first class has the woman who has to comment on every single thing the trainer says. And our second class has two annoying women, the first one, brought two dogs to the class by herself, and then had to keep asking how she could do the exercises with two dogs....hello...no, there's nobody home.

Then she proceded to praises her dogs loudly and FOREVER, when they did the right thing, yeah, we get it, your labs are brilliant. That's why your here.

Another lady in the class insists on continuing her training while the teacher is talking, normally not a big deal, but remember, this is clicker training....CLICKER TRAINING!

So annoying. She also didn't bring any of the required items to bring, ie, crate, mat, treats, and then wondered how she should perform the exercises. Should people be required to pass IQ tests before they may own a dog? YES! Most definitly. I know I'm not perfect. But man....

This picture was Madelines napping site this morning.....I like to call it....Angel/Devil Dog, or maybe Dog who thinks she's Cat. In case you can't tell, in this picture she is on the back of the couch, half in the window sill.

And for those of you who couldn't find the puppy in the pumpkin patch last post....here he is!!!!

Are Titles Really Needed?

It has been quite a week, here in the Kootenays. Work has been at the top of my list of stresses this week. Wednesday our Union Rep is coming in and I am prepared to duel to the DEATH!!!!!

Stupid business owners think they can walk all over us little guys......you have messed with the wrong girl. To put it briefly....I did a used car inspection, a week after Julien's death....it's hard to inspect through a blur of tears, but I did my best. Nor have I been using this as an excuse, except for right here, right now. Flash forward one month, the POS Ford Ranger has been sold and the buyer has had it privatly inspected. A few items were missed by me, and it is questionable as to whether these items had occured recently, or were there at the time of the inspection. Not to mention the vehicle was worked on by another tech in the interim and none of these items were noted by him either.

Big bad boss man, decides that as a form of punishment, I would have to repair all for free, almost an entires days of hours.

Let me reinforce, that in my year and a half with this company, I have never been reprimanded, pulled into the office, been written up, nothing! This is my first offence. And come on, have a little heart!

Now I can understand, if I repaired something and it didn't work, or still leaked....of course I would fix it for free. However, I did not even do any work on this truck after the initial inspection. I didn't damage it. I didn't do a poor repair. I didn't cause a leak. Nothing.

So I did the work, fuming all day. But the next day, that was it! (So much for keeping it brief, I am in full venting mode now)

So I got to work, went into my managers office and said it was unacceptable, if they asked me to work, they would pay me to work. At which point my manager starts to go bug eyed and stutter, and states that he would have to talk to the owner. Basically he is nothing but a bug eyed stuttering puppet. So I said I would be happy to wait, and he could come and find me when he had an answer. Out to the picnic table I went and enjoyed catching up on some flyers and newspapers. Two hours later he saunters out with the shop foreman in tow and says they have agreed to pay me half the time. My response. No. All. Or I will continue to sit here , or load up my tool box and leave. After a slight show down, he finally conceded. I put my coveralls on, and started work, even though it was almost lunch time! Needless to say I was not feeling overly motivated, and after many wasted hours, clearly their new form of punishment was a huge success! I am quite sure this battle has only just begun. I can't wait! I have some pent up anger I'm edging to get, this sounds like just the right battlefield!

Today was another exciting event, my first root canal! Well, half a root canal. Of course with wouldn't go smoothly. My roots are knarly and thin and difficult, so she only got half done before all the freezing was gone. I will have to go back in a few weeks and get it finished off. Oh boy, I can hardly wait.

Upcoming news:

Madeline will officially be turning four on Wednesday! I better get shopping! Actually, it's not like I have to spend time shopping, will it be a frisbee or a ball this year!

Yesterday we did some fall chores, starting with cleaning the chinmey! We're all ready to get the wood stove fired up now! I'm a little nervous though, our stacks and stacks of wood, that looked like so much in the the spring, seems to be looking like less and less every degree the tempurature drops! Hopefully we got enough!

I went into the garden, the first time since Julien died. I learned that Dorian will happily be my new gardening partner! Up and down the rows, sniffing and trying to taste test everything! Enjoying the feel of the cool dirt between his paws! Julien used to lie right down in the dirt! What a peanut. If I held a pea out for him, he would pluck it right off the plant. I will miss him forever in the garden.

I posted a fun game below....can you find the bulldog puppy in the pumpkin patch?

Our "gigantic" pumpkin has been a little disappointing, but still quite large! We'll start the seeds earlier next year.

Dorian has figured out how to climb two steps to be able to see sister on the other side of the coffee table! But then he gets stuck and just sits there and barks!

Time for me to sign off and go pop some painkillers!

Still sleepy

So today was our first class for Lingy/puppy training. It was orientation, so that meant no dogs, just the humans learning how to use the "clicker". Todays class consisted of one of us being the dog and the other person being the trainer! So the first command I have to teach Tommy is to touch his right hand to his right foot. We are not allowed to use any verbal commands, or "lure" with a treat, or move the "dog" into position. All we can do is click when the "dog" starts to move in the right direction. Of course my "dog" had to act like a bedridden senior citizen who doesn't move AT ALL!!! So how am I supposed to reward him for doing the right thing? Impossible!!!! Eventually the teachers took over and tried to train my "dog". He was untrainable! The best we could get was for him to put his hand on his knee!

Then the roles get reversed and I am the dog. After much spinning and foot moving and walking around, on and under chairs, I finally get it! I am supposed to walk backwards! And when I finally understand what my "master" and I use that term lightly, wants me to do, it was exilarating! I was so proud of myself! However, after all that, I didn't even get a treat, what a rip.

It was pretty interesting to see just how difficult it is for our dogs to understand what we want them to do, and we even knew what the rules of the game were....the dogs don't even know that much information!

Our first class is Oct 4th. Which also happens to be Juliens birthday. So I am glad I will have to get up, get dressed and go out on that day. But we will definitly be having pancakes and bacon in memory of Julien. Thats was his birthday dinner request year after year. His favorite.

Dorian is also going to start classes too. He will go in the morning, and then Madeline will go in the afternoon. We are doing them seperate so they will not be distracted by eachother and us. There weren't enough puppies to do a puppy class, but there will be a puppy a few weeks older then him in his class. We will have to do lots of work at home to keep up with the big dogs as he will be going right into a level one class. We started work today on name recognition....he is a star pupil already!

And last but not least our most exciting news of the entire weekend.......dadadadadaaaaaaa......


PURLA WENT IN HER HOUSE TODAY!!!!!!!!

Yay! I ran to get the camera and she ran out :(

Next time.

Schools In!

Tomorrow we have our first class! Madeline is back in school! We are starting out in a basic beginnings obediance class. Hopefully she gets a real confidence booster when she already knows how to do everything!

We did a little practice on our walk last night, got the old "clicker" out and a bag of dried liver, YUMYUM! It was like watching a bulb come on! We haven't practiced in a long time and she knew exactly what was going on! It was the most pleasant walk ever! I know, I know, why haven't we been doing this all along? I'll get back to you on that one!

We have been on a fast learning curve this week too. Puppy brain is slowing us down a little, but we are quickly catching up to Dorian's antics! He is one smart little peanut. Sometimes we wonder if Julien left a handbook behind to instruct him on how to be the cutest thing ever. Sometimes Dorian does things that totally imitate Madeline and other times it is the exact thing Julien would have done. Then other times, he is so different from both of them!

I remember after Julien was a little older, how we though we actually had some bearing on what a great little guy he had become. Then with Madeline, we started to realize, that they really do have their own personality, regardless of what we do....now with Dorian, it is so exciting to see an all new personality emerging! This new little doggi person comes complete with the toilet paper gene! We haven't had the gift of a puppy that unrolls TP until now! So we are learning to roll it back up after you are done!

We also can't get over how much he loves his kennel! Put him in, close the door, he goes to sleep! This has been unheard of in our household before! We remember many sleepless nights, trying to get Julien to sleep in his kennel, we were not going to have a dog in bed! Three or four sleepless nights later.....Julien curled up in my arms and never left...and we all slept happily ever after! When Madeline came home, we didn't even try, but she still enjoys her kennel, and goes in it quite often for a rest. Dorian loves his kennel, he would rather take a nap in there, then sleep with either of us, which is good in a way, but a little sad, I was hoping to have a new friend to share my pillow with. But I guess I can be thankful for the extra room in bed. Madeline is also glad for the extra room in bed. I will always save a spot on my pillow for Juliens cheek.

Phew! Soooo Tired!

So much has happened this weekend that we can all hardly keep our eyes open!

First I will start with Madelines big day! The Paws for a Cause walk was today. We arrived a little late and unfortunatly missed the pancake breakfast, which was sad because that would have been Julien's favorite part! But we made it for the walk, and when we got to the booth to drop off our "offline" donations, the ladies said "oh good! you made it! we were wondering where you were!" Which we thought was a little strange that they knew who we were, but it is the Kootenays, and we had a nice story on our profile, so we thought maybe they just took note of who we were. So we walked a little bit, but our training didn't pay off, and we couldn't complete the walk, it was just too warm and although we were walking beside the lake we couldn't get down to it to cool off. Madeline made a new bulldog friend named Ruby, she also didn't finish the walk, so we all just hung out in the shade and waited for the other dogs to come in.

Our Julien shirts looked great, and we made sure everyone took note! After the walk was bobbing for weiners and some dog Haiku readings. Although Madeline had also trained for bobbing for weiners and was totally ready to clean house.....we didn't get to participate...we were in the last heat and someone ducked in front and stole our spot when the whistle was blown. It was very disappointing. We were so prepared.

After the events they started to announce the rankings of the fundraisers! So we sat and listened and clapped. And when they got to adults, the 2nd place fundraiser had a total way lower then ours, so I nudged Tommy and said....I think we might be a winner here! And low and behold we were the highest fundraisers! We were totally shocked and surprised, but so thrilled to be able to honour Julien with this achievement! We got our pictures taken, and Madeline also had a little photo shoot with the Nelson Daily Times, we will have to remember to get a paper tomorrow.

So now I will back track to....last week!

Last Saturday we got a wonderful email, from our wonderful breeder and friend, Kandie! She had a puppy, one left! That needed a good home! And he was already old enough to go to his forever home! We immediatly responded with a resounding YES! Although there will never be anyone, who can even compare to my Julien, I couldn't even imagine letting this little baby slip through my fingers.

We spend the week shopping, making blankets and playing the alphebet game to come up with names.

So without further ado, we would like to introduce Dorian and welcome him to our family!

We drove all weekend, all the way to Edmonton and back in two day! CRAZY! I don't know how people drive long haul for a living, it is so exhausting. We got to meet Kandie, and so many wonderful fur boys and girls! Including a Dog D'bourdeaux, I'm not sure of the spelling, picture "Turner and Hooch"! What an amazing dog! Our little peanut stole every remaining piece of my heart that Julien didn't take to heaven. I love him. Tommy loves him. Madeline.....well.....he's alright....she guesses, as far as puppies go....

She is being a very good girl and we are sure to tell her that approximatly 476 times a day. We are so blessed.

So after a long journey home, we arrived to our bed at about 5AM this morning, and a puppy that was READY TO PLAY!!!!!!!! How can you not love every minute though! I've heard friends talk about baby brain, and we definitly have puppy brain! He is so adorable! I'm totally frantic and looking for a bubble to place him in...

I can already tell that he is extremly intelligent, and know what he wants, and how to get it! It is so neat to see how he is his own personality, so different from Julien and Madeline! I can't get enough!

So here are some pictures of the cutest little peanut on earth, Dorian.

Purla's Moving On Up!

We have a cat. She came with our house. Some people get the appliances, we get small felines. She's sweet and old, and doesn't like to spend more then a few hours in the house, no matter how cold it is outside.

This year, the little lady has been spending more and more time on the porch, and she is getting thinner and thinner. So Tommy and I decided we needed to move her into some retirement living. It is only partial assistance, she will recieve her meals, and we will do her laundry, but she will still have to bathe herself and go to the bathroom on her own.

The nice thing about moving into a previously enjoyed property, is all the stuff they left behind. So I drew up some plans and went scavenging for supplies in the back 40.

We found everything we needed from wood, to carpet to paint! And the roof is the old piece of our portable dishwasher that has been "hanging around" for a year and a half.

And Tommy really really really enjoyed his new compressor and brad nailer. This house is built to withstand hurricane force winds. The brad nailer came with 1000 staples, 1000 2" nails and 1000 2.5" nails....I think there's a few left.....

So we finished the final coat of paint tonight, Madeline tried it out for comfort! And we delivered it to the building site...a la manufactured home....this ain't no trailer!

I'm not sure how to get her to use it, we put her food dishes on the porch, we are hoping she will venture in on her own. I'm sure she will love it when she goes inside and sees the pillow with the kitty pillowcase and the leopard prints blankets!

Hopefully I can get a picture of her inside it some day!

The Shirts!

Here they are! The bestest shirts ever, with a picture of the bestest puppy every! Madelines' could use a little altering, but I'm not sure if I know what to do.

I love them! Especially the blue on white turned out awesome! We're going to be the best team ever!

Appalooza 2009

Phew. Tommy and his parents went to town on the apple trees on Saturday. I tried to warn them. But nobody would listen to reason. "Stop" I said, "some can stay on the trees" I warned. But it was like they were in an apple trance. It was like wasps to a sugary drink.

Thankfully Sunday was rainy, so we set up a assembly line, and put everyone to task. Mom and dad U were coring, peeling and dicing. Tommy was pastry boy. And I was making applesauce. Seven pies and about 15 tubs of applesauce later, we had not even made a dent in the apples.

So we sent them home with a box of apples, and we still have three hugs boxes of apples left. We are thinking of giving people pie making kits, which would consist of a box of apples and a recipe card! Maybe we will deliver them in the middle of the night anonymously! Ha!

The house smells like apples. And everything is sticky. Even Madeline wasn't picking the dropped apple pieces off the floor!








We also got a gift from above on Saturday. I will suspensefully say no more, yet. I have to get dressed and we are off to pick up a tree. Can't say no to free firewood!

New Computer!

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!

Mom and Dad U, have donated us sad computer disinclined people a "new to us" computer! It is very fancy and black. The keyboard and mouse are wireless! AND it is fast! 50.6 Kbps as opposed to our old one, the fastest we ever got was 45.8! Its SUPER FAST!!!!

So, of course the first thing I had to try was to upload a picture and VOILA!!!! It worked! In less then half an hour! Unbelievable!

Sadly though, I was trying to upload the pictures of our Team Julien shirts, and for some reason my Madeline folder did not transfer over....but I still have all her recent pictures on my camera, we just need to install the program onto the computer for the camera. So in lieu of that, I have uploaded a picture of Julien and I at his very first Dog Jog! He was so tired by the end of it I had to carry him to the car! (We were smart for the next one and brought his wagon!) He was such a peanut!

So I will put the new pictures up later when we get this program installed....

Tommy and the inlaws are picking about a thousand apples right now....and think they are going to have a pie making festival....enjoy. I will go take some pictures of them and keep you posted on how it tastes.

Go Team Julien!

Yay! Our Team shirts for Paws for a Cause arrived today! They were specially designed for us by Minou Pitou! (You too can have a shirt designed for you!) They look awesome. I am trying to upload a picture....but alas, dial up.....and a poopy computer are ruining my life.

Anybody know anything about java script?????

Dear Julien,

I ONLY WANTED YOU

They say memories are golden
well maybe that is true.
I never wanted memories,
I only wanted you.

A million times I needed you,
a million times I cried.
If love alone could have saved you
you never would have died.

In life I loved you dearly,
In death I love you still.
In my heart you hold a place
no one could ever fill.

If tears could build a stairway
and heartache make a lane,
I'd walk the path to heaven
and bring you back again.

Our family chain is broken,
and nothing seems the same.
But as God calls us one by one,
the chain will link again.

Author unknown

Tonight we lit a candle for you Julien.
It has been one month since you left us. It is lightening and thundering and I said to Tommy, as we sat on the porch, that if Julien were here, he would be butting in to sit between us, as just after I said that, Madeline came over and did exactly that. Purla came and sat with us too. She will likely be next to see Julien, we are giving her lots of messages to take to him. I sat out for a long time, I hope he is not afraid of the thunder. He was never afraid before, until our roof broke, and then this summer he was a little nervous, but without mommy....who knows. I miss you baby, I love you so much. Kisses to heaven.
Mommy

To Hell and Back

Today I went to the dentist. This is my second trip to the dentist this month. My previous trip to the dentist was approximately 1993. Earlier this month I got a good patient sticker, which is permanently stuck to my tank top after Tommy did the laundry. This trip I did not get a sticker. Thanx to one minor panic attack......five shots of freezing later, I now have half a cleaning done. And Tommys' hand may hurt just as much as my mouth.

Also, we found out there is a whole new technique to brushing these days....apparently I have brushed my gums away and that is part of my pain problem. So don't brush so hard! Lights in small circles and you can sweep from the gums down. If you need to go back and forth angle the brush, it should not be at a 90 degree to your teeth.....who knew? Oh and only buy really soft brushes.

Phew, at least that is over for two more weeks, then back to do the other side.....and then the real journey to hell....root canals.... that's right canals.


Lingy is having a rough day today, she keeps asking to get up to the table where all her brothers things are laid out. I don't know where to put them, and I haven't been able to eat at the table since he's been gone anyways. So his things stay there. She wanted to sniff everything, like I do, like she needed to remember. Tomorrow he has been gone one month. It still seems like a nightmare we will wake up from any minute.

Last night we went to Nelson and practiced for the walk, we're not sure of the exact route, but I don't think she minded! Well, I had a picture but after and hour long unsuccessful attempt, I give up, maybe tomorrow.

I have also decided that we need to make a kitty house for our adopted kitty Purla, she is very old and frail, but she won't stay in the house. Mostly she curls up on the porch and sleeps all day. So I am going to try to make her a shelter to keep her out of the elements this winter. Lingy and I will start work on it tomorrow.

1st Post!

This blog has been started to document and remember all the fun things we do with Madeline.

We are on dial up, so this may be painful.

We have also recently lost her older brother Julien, this is also painful.

The first order of business is to let everyone know that Madeline is training hard to walk in Paws for a Cause on Sept 13. We are raising money in memory of her brother Julien, and walking in his memory. Julien participated in two paws for cause in his life.....well, the second one he mostly rode in a wagon...but good times were had by all.

We have high hopes that Madeline will excel in the bobbing for bones challenge. We are also hoping that our Team Julien t-shirts arrive in time! The estimated time of arrival is Sept 10, so we are cutting it very close.

I will now attempt to download a picture of Madeline on dial up! Don't hold your breath!
Oh right, and a link for Paws for a cause.

http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=712705


There it is .....I've never made a link.....we need help!