project finally complete! (sort of)

Well, this has been one long project from start to finish! I got this little cabinet last winter, and this winter I finally took it to my in-laws and stained it and varnished it. I did it there so I could do it inside a heated shop, rather than freeze or wait until summer. Anyway, this is now where the phone and other miscellaneous items that used to live on the counter on the other side of this wall will no live. Yay for a clean counter, and more space when I'm baking! The thing is, nothing has really been organized inside. Michael took the liberty of shoving all our games behind those two doors and the phone books and pens and such are inside the flip down part. I still plan to actually make it functional (eliminate a few games that we don't use) and put some little baskets in so things don't get lost in the back.

Doesn't it look pretty? The flowers are from Valentine's, left over from the tables at the coffeehouse where we spent the evening. That photo, which we think looks pretty awesome is one we took in San Diego when we were stuck there for a couple of days with the truck.

short trip in the truck!

Ok, so Michael had the chance to drive his boss's truck on a couple of short weekend trips. We decided it would be fun to go together and relive our first year of marriage (wait, maybe not everything about the first year, afterall those were some crazy times!). Anyway, we had a lot of fun and if I'm honest, I was reminded about some of the things about that phase of life that weren't always so enjoyable, like the crazy sleep patterns and washing up for bedtime in a public restroom. If you are wondering what I'm pointing at in a rather Vanna White fashion, it's the Wal-Mart sign. This was the place we stopped at least once on every trip. Needless to say, I really don't shop at Walmart that often anymore, I got so bored of Wal-Mart, they really are the same all across the country!

And, since we were in the States (which is not quite as close by here as it is back home in Abbotsford, well it's close, but there's nothing on the other side unless you drive quite a ways), we had to stop for the best ice cream ever. At Coldstone's! If you ever have the chance to go, do. My favorite thing to order is the Cheesecake Supreme (actually quite remember the name, but it's cheese cake flavored ice cream with graham cracker crumbs, strawberries & blueberries).

AFTER happily ever after

Michael and I had a date night, together with another couple. It was really great to get out and feel like we have a social life. The After Happily Ever After tour is put on by Focus on the Family, and is coming across the country (I think it's in Abbotsford in May sometime). We had a great time, laughing and learning. It gave us both a few things to think about. We recommend it, if you can make it!

Easter!

This year I made paska again, on Thursday before Bad Friday, it sort of hadn't occurred to me until last minute, because I was so busy with school. Anyway, I called Oma this time, to avoid any further mishaps like last year, and got some instructions and double checked my recipe. Turns out, it is supposed to be a soft, sticky dough (not like bread). It turned out much better!

We didn't have an Easter dinner at our place this year, but we had a big family gathering at Michael's parents place. It was really great. There was extra people compared to the usual 7. Grandma & Grandpa Peters were in from Ontario, Unlce Isaac was there as well as great-aunt Lisa. We had a big Easter hunt, which was a lot of fun, and reminded me of the Loewen hunts we used to have.

{I've been waiting to post this until I got some pictures from the rest of the clan, because of course we didn't take any of our own, but it seems no one had their camera out for the actual hunt, but here's some standard hanging out pics and a "tischbild" }

This is Cate, and the only evidence I have that we had an Easter Hunt.

The "tisch bild" (this means table picture directly translated, and it is something that my Oma Friesen almost always asks for at a family gathering, it's become a bit of a legend.)

new job...

The family tradition of book keeper lives on! Our friend Samuel who also runs a trucking/brokering business approached me to come and work for him as a book keeper/organizer. I thought about it a long time and talked with Michael about it (which was interesting and helped us have another communication breakthrough). I was a little nervous, knowing how in some ways Michael and this friend have very similar personalities and remembering how intense (read: many arguments) Michael and I had when I had to take over doing his trucking books for him. I decided to do it, but only 4 hours a week until school is over, and after that potentially more, as necessary, and until I find my education related employement. So far it has been fun, although the learning curve on a new accounting software is big (I find it way too easy to compare and complain). So, it is going well, I even got to shop for office supplies (I am a total dork: this is something I find incredibly enjoyable). I'm enjoying the challenge of understanding his business and helping him set up an effective filing system and way to handle all. the. paper. So far he seems to be ok with my bluntness on challenging the way he does things (but then again, Michael warned him, and he is paying me to help him be more efficient, a totally different situation than when I started doing the books for Michael!) So, unofficially this is my first gig as an organizer too, which is something I hope to pursue on the side. I have two other organizing gigs that I need to schedule in too, so it might take off sooner than I thought!

birthday boy...

Well, this year it's Michael's "golden" birthday, or whatever you want to call it (the one where he turns 27 on the 27th, it's really too bad I don't remember mine...). So, we celebrated with our lifegroup:



Horst of course remembered Michael's bottle collection, and found this unique one to add to the stash.

Our friends Francis & Janine helped me pull off a surprise party for Michael on the 29th. Michael had no clue and was not suspicious at all, until the first party goers arrived before he had left for his coffee date with Francis (of course the guys both got home from work late, cutting everything very close). Anyway, the couple had a baby, who was not a happy camper, so the crying child kept Michael from thinking too much about why these people had come over. The whole evening was a lot of fun!

see, doesn't it look like we are having fun?

reading week

Sigh...a beautifully wide open blank slate of time...so many important things demanding to be done...and I accomplish almost nothing on the to do list. Instead I spend all of that expanse of time connecting with friends that I haven't been able to spend time with because of the demands of being a student. Well, I have to say that I really enjoyed the leisure time, and I totally deserved the break! (this is my conclusion after a long self talk about the guilt of doing nothing).

Valentine's day...

So, this year we did something a little different on Valentine's Day, and it was fabulous. We went and served dessert at a coffee house fundraiser for a ministry that I think is just amazing. It's called House of Hesed, it is a place for people living with HIV to live and be loved by Christian people. Michael and I did this with a couple from our life group, who are really special people in our lives. We had a great time, almost better than trying so hard to come up with something romantic and cheap to do together (this usually leads to fighting anyway). We did do something else to celebrate Valentine's too, the day after... Michael took me to Cora's, a really cute country style breakfast/lunch restaurant here in Winnipeg (originated in Montreal I think and is making it's way west). I love going out for breakfast any day, but going to Cora's was even better. The menu is full of awesome choices, crepes, omelettes and waffles (some of which even come with nutella on them!). Anyway, we had a great time and enjoyed our food very much.

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday, the day that the season of Lent begins. Lent is essentially a time of preparing for Easter, it's 40 days long. Often people choose to give things up for the season of lent, chocolate, bread, TV, movies, coffee, you get the picture. I have never actually done this because I always miss the beginning of it, but this year our church had a service, so I remembered. I am posting this, and then I will not be on facebook until easter (because I find that it occupies far more of my time than it should). I'm still formulating what exactly I will all be giving up, but facebook and reading blogs are two of the for sure. I'm still not sure about the idea of not posting to my own blog. I'm also still praying about which food item to give up, I really want to give one up, because I think that will really make me uncomfortable. And this is kind of the point of Lent, to be uncomfortable, to give something up, so that I am more aware of my dependency on God and turn to Him instead of these distracting and comforting things. Also, for your information, Lent is 40 days long, but if you check the calendar from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday is actually longer. That is because the early church decided that Sundays would not be part of their fasting, because it was a day that celebrates Christ's resurrection. I guess that techinically I could do facebook on Sundays then, but I think I'm going to avoid doing even that. To be totally honest, it does make the idea of giving up a certain food a lot easier! Ok, I think that covers what I wanted to say. I hope you all have a great next 40ish days!

obsession

Hello everyone! Ok, so I have again picked up knitting needles after a long hiatus (our tenants didn't even know that I knew how to knit!). I have been quite enjoying it. Sometimes it prevents me from doing what I should be doing, almost like an obsession or compulsion. I have knit a handful of baby hats for some of my friends who have had babies (not for myself yet...).

and also a pair of booties from the leftover yarn...

and mittens for me...

and socks for me...

I've recently bought yarn for a pair of socks for a special someone who will remain unnamed until the socks are made. I also have on the go a cute little halter top for my niece Cate's first birthday. I also recently attended a yarn swap where I acquired a few balls of yarn that I am as of yet undecided about. I also one a door prize which was some fabulous mohair in a deep purple variegated yarn that I hope to make a sweater for myself with. Michael has finally broken down and agreed to let me knit him something, a sweater that we can both agree on, but I haven't picked out yarn yet.

Anyway, you can clearly see that the knitting has become a bit of an obsession (I got to a knitting group every other week) and have even been passing on the obsession by teaching others to knit! Wanna come over and learn?