tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43517396772518597582024-03-04T20:29:00.187-08:00The Dominee HuisvrouwThe Exciting Exploits of a Pastor's Wife & Her FamilySherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.comBlogger1659125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-22815529758464662932022-10-03T14:37:00.000-07:002022-10-03T14:37:52.521-07:00Address UnknownCall me old fashioned, but I prefer a paper credit card statement. I love getting mail, even if it's just a credit card bill, it's just so satisfying opening up the mailbox and seeing something there waiting for me! A paper credit card statement is the perfect kick-in-the-pants reminder I need to pay that bill. I know, electronic statements are more eco-friendly, but I end up having to print a copy anyway, so I can tick off all the entries and make sure it all adds up. And emails can get lost in my inbox too easily.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>A few months ago I realized I had not been receiving my statements for the credit card from the bank that we do all our banking at. It hadn't been a problem, because sometimes I pay the card off early because my accounting software warns me that a payment is coming due, but I wanted to figure out what was going on.</div><div><br /></div><div>I called the bank, they said, "call the credit card people."</div><div><br /></div><div>I called the credit card people, they said, "On our end we can see that you are getting the paper statements, so you should be getting them, but in the meantime we can send you a copy. Maybe that will kickstart the statements getting sent."</div><div><br /></div><div>A week later I received the copy of the statement. Now it's been over a month, still no statement. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, today I called the credit card people. They said, "We show that we have sent the statements out every month. Call the mail people."</div><div><br /></div><div>I called the mail people. They said, "what's your mailing address?"</div><div><br /></div><div>I gave them my mailing address. It's not a pretty address, it looks like this:</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Box 4, Site 5, RR 6 </div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Cool Town, AB </div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">A1B 2C3 (that's the postal code)</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>They rattled it back to me and said, "PO box ...."</div><div><br /></div><div>I said, "No, it's a community mailbox. Not a PO Box."</div><div><br /></div><div>They asked for my physical address...</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's where it gets tricky. I live in a subdivision created when a farmer sold a chunk of his land decades ago. So there are about 30 houses with the same address, and then a house number. Similar to this:</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">12345 Hwy 67</div></blockquote><div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">#89</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Cool Town, AB</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">A1B 2C3 (notice it's the same town and postal code)</div></blockquote><p>But about 6 years ago, they built a new highway a little bit South of us, so now our highway is:</p><div>Hwy 67A. But if you look on google maps, or any other GPS system, our new address doesn't exist. So what we have done for parcel deliveries is googled my house, and it gives a pretty random address based on the town 2 km West of us.</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">89 Random st</div></blockquote><div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Neat Town, AB</div></blockquote><div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">A4D6N2 (very random)</div></blockquote><div></div><div><br /></div><div>But I have been told by the county people that the google address is NOT the address I should give if there's an emergency at my house. I need to give the updated address with "Hwy 67A".</div><div><br /></div><div>I told the mail guy my physical address, and he couldn't find it in his system (no big surprise there).</div><div><br /></div><div>Then the mail guy said to me, "First we have to deal with your problem with your address before we can deal with the credit card statement problem. I have entered a ticket into the system that we have to figure out your correct physical address. You will be contacted by October 11."</div><div><br /></div><div>I am eagerly awaiting the official correct address of where I live!</div>Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-63476188702431205222022-04-01T15:48:00.004-07:002022-04-01T15:48:59.494-07:00Correct Change<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Last week I was visiting my parents in the States, and the kids and I did a bit of shopping. I was using my American cash as much as possible, and I wanted to have the least amount of change after every transaction. It seems that the art of making change has been lost. I had three confused employees in one day!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The first was at Goodwill. My total was $47.47, so I handed over</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">$20</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">$20</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">$10</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">$1</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">$1</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">25<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">¢</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">10<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">¢</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">10<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">¢</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">1<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">¢</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">1</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">¢</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(that's $52.47)</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She tried to give me $10 back, and got really confused when I would only take $5. She had to call her manager over, and I had to explain it all to her as well. All was good in the end, and the kids and I got a chuckle out of it.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">________________________</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The second encounter was at Hobby Lobby. My total was $33.17, so I handed over</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">$20</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">$10</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">$1</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">$1</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">$1</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">25</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">¢</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1¢</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">1</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">¢</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(that's $33.27)</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">She tried to give me my pennies back because the quarter already was more than the 17<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">¢ I owed. When I refused to take them back she was mystified, so I just told her to punch in what I gave her, once she had done that she understood. I only wanted 1 coin back, not a bunch of pennies!</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">__________________________</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The third encounter was a short time later, also at Hobby Lobby (we forgot something), with a different cashier. My total was $17.43, so I handed over</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">$20</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">$1</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">$1</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">25</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">¢</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">25</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">¢</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(I had run out of pennies at that point)</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(that's $22.50)</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He tried to give my $2 back, and when I said no, he said, "but the $20 covers it."</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I knew that, but please, "just trust me on this."</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, he punched it into the till, and viola! I received $5.07 back so I wouldn't have a bunch of $1 bills.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">MATH TEACHERS, can we please work on money, and correct change so people can understand what they are doing on the cash registers? I know most people pay with cards, I do most of the time too, but this is an important skill!</span></span></p>Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-32677676484111242232021-12-08T08:15:00.001-08:002021-12-08T08:15:56.974-08:00Advent Calendars<div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">This year, for the first time ever, I bought the kids chocolate advent calendars. I left them on the table, and I was not home when the kids came home from school. When I got home later that evening it was supper time, so we sat down to eat.</span><br></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">"What happened to the advent calendars that were on the table?" I asked.</span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br></span></div><div>Asher answered, "I put them here on the chair because I had to set the table. Who are they for?"</div><div><br></div><div> Me: "I bought one for you, and one for Chancery, but you need to share 5 of your chocolates with your dad and I."</div><div><br></div><div> The kids were very surprised to have chocolate advent calendars. It was as if an alien had replaced their mother and brought this special gift for them. After a few moments Asher inquired... </div><div><br></div><div>"Wait, I have to give you 5 chocolates, and dad 5 chocolates?"</div><div><br></div><div> Me: "no, you share with dad, Chancery shares with me."</div><div><br></div><div> All was well for a few days until I went shopping again. I told Chad I bought our own kind of advent calendar, but now the kids are jealous! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm on the hunt for more canisters, I don't know if I'll ever have enough!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbXWTim8CJ6jynuOg7sbH1eBdjHN-3f2duNccArv4Zy4D6vM0aHWZW4eIemesSFiQh8zoIWTN2LXh2KS-8XiHnDV0WSusiGsZAJtdQiIqxyU9PHDWxVMYnOE4tWM9yFxECtb5CyeHIqs/s718/f9cd1f728bb8eb3a419023f439ab2911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="718" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbXWTim8CJ6jynuOg7sbH1eBdjHN-3f2duNccArv4Zy4D6vM0aHWZW4eIemesSFiQh8zoIWTN2LXh2KS-8XiHnDV0WSusiGsZAJtdQiIqxyU9PHDWxVMYnOE4tWM9yFxECtb5CyeHIqs/s320/f9cd1f728bb8eb3a419023f439ab2911.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So I was in the Tupperware aisle, and there was a woman ahead of me who was looking at all the Salt & Pepper shakers. She'd pick up a set, examine them, put them down, grab another set... She was taking her time, & I was ok with that. It's very important to have GOOD salt & pepper shakers!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There was another woman who came up behind me, and started looking as well. We'll call her Sally. Sally was probably in her late 50s I'd guess. Suddenly I felt a shopping cart nudge my bum. At first I ignored it. I figured it was an accidental nudge, perhaps Lily had been so engrossed with what she was looking at on the shelf that she didn't notice she had pushed her cart into my bum. But the cart started pressing harder! I turned to look at Sally. She was now pushing her cart into me quite insistently. I figured if I made eye contact, she'd stop for sure. Instead, Sally looked at me, then craned her head to look around me at the Salt & pepper lady, and kept pushing me with the cart.</div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzs3empJ5t-sj015FEB9p55Q72nFUH27wmL3XCqw54P66mj2deKaufpbq5xY6ZJXkegFLhHHkC-MDrfwmr_bOuLbgfuddCPxEaIcMYHE9Mx5OZ2-GwKpftGarNpyLyneUlnY9Iml1I2s/s473/Shopping+Cart+Sally.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="473" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzs3empJ5t-sj015FEB9p55Q72nFUH27wmL3XCqw54P66mj2deKaufpbq5xY6ZJXkegFLhHHkC-MDrfwmr_bOuLbgfuddCPxEaIcMYHE9Mx5OZ2-GwKpftGarNpyLyneUlnY9Iml1I2s/w640-h444/Shopping+Cart+Sally.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At this point I'd had enough. So, I looked Sally in the eye, and said, "You can see that this lady is in front of me and I have nowhere to go. You don't have to keep bashing me with your cart." Sally replied, "oh, sorry." Then she backed up, and went down the small aisle beside her. Unbelievable! Perhaps too much time being cooped up at home is making people forget their manners...</div><br />Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-2427512818456739222021-01-20T09:46:00.008-08:002021-01-20T09:46:00.950-08:00Laundry Balls<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A friend of mine suggested I share this handy laundry tip with you. So, here goes. If you have long haired people in your household, you know that you sometimes get hairballs stuck on your clothes when they come out of the dryer.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDL_QR7csDIMQa443QS_FrUn72EZdzPS3O9xYwPv7vNjW9WmUz_M21GrUNSTkq9zZ-HOXCY03gQNJ006Gng7d6io37Oz3wKg85Bjp7cXiqg7-yVEOvNKuXTmFwmdOgpIaWr62JpDoNddA/s2048/2020-12-14+11.17.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ew!" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDL_QR7csDIMQa443QS_FrUn72EZdzPS3O9xYwPv7vNjW9WmUz_M21GrUNSTkq9zZ-HOXCY03gQNJ006Gng7d6io37Oz3wKg85Bjp7cXiqg7-yVEOvNKuXTmFwmdOgpIaWr62JpDoNddA/w213-h320/2020-12-14+11.17.35.jpg" title="Ew!" width="213" /></a></div><p>Like this lovely example that was on my sock the other day! I have found an easy way to prevent this from happening. All you need to do is put 2 or 3 clean tennis balls in your dryer with your clothes. I also use a dryer sheet with every load to prevent static. Yes, it's a bit noisy, but the hair will stick to the tennis balls instead of your clothes!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqd3L3fVqWTVN0E203QfDAkg2XRekXLJoiWLcMEdOGIEjYY16hLwGFGRVb8G7v1hGY88YR7klSbCspTRhSLC8-2gIF9eeoPKu-gylC5GDqMjoz8SMwFwf_psHfzaKAPh6uBc9Ik4Qmk6g/s2048/2020-12-19+11.09.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqd3L3fVqWTVN0E203QfDAkg2XRekXLJoiWLcMEdOGIEjYY16hLwGFGRVb8G7v1hGY88YR7klSbCspTRhSLC8-2gIF9eeoPKu-gylC5GDqMjoz8SMwFwf_psHfzaKAPh6uBc9Ik4Qmk6g/w426-h640/2020-12-19+11.09.28.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">All you need to do is pulls the hair off the tennis balls after your load is done. Easy Peasy!</span></div><br /> <p></p>Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-37448335207112269912021-01-19T09:00:00.005-08:002021-01-19T09:00:44.449-08:00Staying Home, Week 44<p>I've got a "counter" on my phone that has been counting the days since we first entered any kind of lockdown for Covid. Today is day 310. We have had many varieties of lockdown...</p><p>-Stay in if you can, kids doing home learning, working from home</p><p>-Small gatherings permitted inside, with distancing</p><p>-Only outdoor gatherings allowed, with masks</p><p>-Kids back to school, with masks</p><p>-Kids grade 7 & up stay home & do Zoom classes</p><p>-No indoor or outdoor gatherings</p><p>Now we are in the weirdest one for me. The kids are back at school, but no indoor or outdoor gatherings have been permitted for the past week. So I have lots of time to myself, which is really quite nice after 5 weeks of the kids being home from school, but I'm not supposed to go anywhere. I've been shopping about once a week, which is my only outing. Wearing a mask is almost second nature now, but with the weather being cold I've been wearing a toque when I go to town, so all that shows is my eyes. I call it my "incognito" look.</p><p>Thankfully, we are still encouraged to go outside & exercise, and I've got a local friend who I've been going Cross-Country Skiing with. We have lots of trails just past our backyard that go through the campground, so it's been fun being able to ski so close to home. Chancery comes with us sometimes, & she really enjoys it too. I declined an invitation to go xc skiing this weekend, & Chancery was quite upset that she didn't get to go, thankfully we were asked again for Sunday afternoon, so it wasn't a total bust!</p><p>I've watched lots TV, read quite a few books, sent out Christmas cards, drank gallons of coffee, moved to a new house, unpacked (still haven't hung our pictures yet!)... It hasn't been all bad, but I'm eager to see people again! And DO things together!</p>Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-79997437665802848822020-12-29T15:53:00.004-08:002020-12-29T16:20:42.989-08:00The Post-Christmas Post<p> Merry mid-week <i>what day is it</i>? My family has asked this countless times in the past week. Last week Chad & I were trying to figure out what day of the week Boxing day was going to be, and it took us about 10 minutes to pin that one down. With all the church services, and no school, every day feels like Sunday, or Saturday.... or is it Thursday? My Google now tells me both the date, and the day of the week in my morning routine!</p><p>We had a pretty good Christmas. We are used to not seeing family over the holidays, although the last few years we were close enough to my parents that they'd usually come up for Christmas. This year it felt weird since we are close enough to see Chad's family, but we weren't allowed to see them. We are doing lots of Zooms instead, which is better than nothing, but we can't wait to get together with family & friends... whenever that will be allowed again.</p><p>With Chad being busy with Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, & Sunday church we were still pretty busy. Because of the tighter restrictions we have to sign up to attend church in person, and I did not remember to do so before all the Christmas services got filled, so we waved Chad off, & watched them from home. That was definitely a weird feeling!</p><p>Then on Christmas day we opened our gifts. Did I take any pictures? Nope, not a single one. Asher's first gift was a WaterPik. He said, "This is a terrible present!" (Sums up 2020 pretty well though!) I told him, "It can only get better from here!" We got lots of new books to read which everyone was happy about.</p><p>I bought myself some really nice bunny slippers, wrapped them up, and boy, was I delighted to open them! Unfortunately they were too small, so Chancery is happy, and I have cold feet! Chad said that's what I deserve for buying myself a present.</p><p>The kids don't go back to school until Jan 11, so now we will have lots of time to bake, play games, & read. We're borrowing skates so the kids can take advantage of the ice rink that is just beside our neighbourhood, and we have lots of ski-doing that can be done on the lake. I'm appointing myself the hot chocolate maker so I can stay in the warm house!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBipiduLl-PAOETRKbdsoSoIMD21_erdbEuJif-K-JP2tBiuydnsDoBYb60aCbDxKlm4N6MCJDGBhvIVrYuejDBnwdSAuKTxTOLfe40IICHfUuPsy1lf2OO6jIkK5GHeMwmVfSXDvmaZs/s420/my-favorite-winter-activity-is-actually-going-back-inside-where-its-warm-8ed3e.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="294" data-original-width="420" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBipiduLl-PAOETRKbdsoSoIMD21_erdbEuJif-K-JP2tBiuydnsDoBYb60aCbDxKlm4N6MCJDGBhvIVrYuejDBnwdSAuKTxTOLfe40IICHfUuPsy1lf2OO6jIkK5GHeMwmVfSXDvmaZs/w400-h280/my-favorite-winter-activity-is-actually-going-back-inside-where-its-warm-8ed3e.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-23981537555073908742020-11-06T09:20:00.004-08:002020-11-06T09:20:00.351-08:00Music Is Everywhere...<p>Whenever I do this...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz_QRsaRpaR_MTtkyh0S_N3-WOcTFb2Nh2SbGeHw2obPQkZCmDKCoZkcHvblgfscODKUIPH1aUnIW9pAr8dUw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>I hear this.... </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mheRT8IyVrQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="mheRT8IyVrQ"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-58734127870010406362020-11-05T16:38:00.002-08:002020-11-05T16:39:15.461-08:00Tim's Coffee<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A special treat....</div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='476' height='396' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw64oOhKIvQuK873QBl-QwEp5xsPWzE6jNAnIPUZROC9AymnxFfr4LfjAowr_GK_tTFKZlBYwi-wY1mWnomNw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-68321202059089794262020-11-03T09:53:00.000-08:002020-11-03T09:53:58.559-08:00Halloween 2020<p>Are the children getting too old to Trick-or-Treat? Not according to them!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0O5Qxbi8xh2O0UyC7F_uIH4z7y_mT2vHykePi2NVJg38x1zheE23q3F-020TSSjq1shsrIdFx70_n2mR4zWyO3KZOcHAtO7pvDDNhJJmblJlTtViLJn4iHfZS2PX41JcTURHxOcUVjbc/s2048/2020-10-31+18.03.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0O5Qxbi8xh2O0UyC7F_uIH4z7y_mT2vHykePi2NVJg38x1zheE23q3F-020TSSjq1shsrIdFx70_n2mR4zWyO3KZOcHAtO7pvDDNhJJmblJlTtViLJn4iHfZS2PX41JcTURHxOcUVjbc/w266-h400/2020-10-31+18.03.41.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">We had a pair of Hot Dogs</div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nVaiaNftRxo3f78FY9rD1uYPNEe_Mg4V96mKjE-ADRghsds2HjkUmFBR0Bbz3WFvY-u_4GEwbNrZSYj76hQDwoRrMEJSESZkVG4e_xom0nrrZ1xSDRJUeAYTkBqHyczTLoGfp-BwZlY/s550/Snapshot+2+%25282020-11-03+10-38+AM%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="307" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nVaiaNftRxo3f78FY9rD1uYPNEe_Mg4V96mKjE-ADRghsds2HjkUmFBR0Bbz3WFvY-u_4GEwbNrZSYj76hQDwoRrMEJSESZkVG4e_xom0nrrZ1xSDRJUeAYTkBqHyczTLoGfp-BwZlY/w224-h400/Snapshot+2+%25282020-11-03+10-38+AM%2529.png" width="224" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And a pair of Black Cats (but the kitten stayed home)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We stayed in our little neighbourhood, and there were 7 houses handing out treats. One neighbour told us we were the first trick-or-treaters they had had in 15 years! When we got back the kids were looking through their loot, and did quite well despite the low number of houses we had gone to. They were also excited that for the first time ever they got to keep all the candy they had gotten! In the past we had let them keep a certain number of treats, and whatever they didn't keep we handed out to the kids who came by our place. However, we had ZERO trick-or-treaters, and thankfully I hadn't bought very much candy.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We were even home in time to watch some TV before bedtime!</div> <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-42152291705160334362020-10-01T09:08:00.001-07:002020-10-01T09:08:27.560-07:00Egg Roll in a Bowl<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have a binder full of recipes that I've found on various parts of the interwebs. Some are things I've searched for, some are from Facebook, and some are from blogs I follow. Most of the recipes in the binder have never been tried by me. The binder is like recipe purgatory. Once I make the recipe it either gets thrown out because it wasn't our favourite, or it gets a star which means make it again! If it's extra awesome it might even get rewritten on a notecard and make it to the recipe box! Last night I made "Egg Roll in a Bowl", and I think it might be moving to the recipe box. We all liked it, and it wasn't too difficult. Without further ado, here's the recipe...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNzG070trtNBU8da5RXfKaVFZbHWu4yf61WLC8SkPHStJA5sQDU-8s5K9xg5DC6AisdvLYjRcjzK5lzNmroWIyYDZ5T8j_5IBlhyphenhypheniC2rD-skbU5jPT0y1JsB7cC92HDjBuEORtunuZ9s/s4032/IMG_20200930_173323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNzG070trtNBU8da5RXfKaVFZbHWu4yf61WLC8SkPHStJA5sQDU-8s5K9xg5DC6AisdvLYjRcjzK5lzNmroWIyYDZ5T8j_5IBlhyphenhypheniC2rD-skbU5jPT0y1JsB7cC92HDjBuEORtunuZ9s/s320/IMG_20200930_173323.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Egg Roll in a Bowl</u></span></p><p>1/2 an Onion, chopped</p><p>1 lb ground Turkey or Pork Sausage</p><p>1/2 Red Bell Pepper, chopped</p><p>1 pkg Coleslaw Mix</p><p><br /></p><p><u>Sauce</u></p><p>3-4 Spring Onions, chopped fine</p><p>3oz Soy Sauce (6 T)</p><p>2T Honey</p><p>1/2 t Sriracha</p><p><br /></p><p>Heat oil in wok on Med heat. Add Onion and Sausage. Cook 5-7 min breaking sausage into pieces.</p><p>Add Bell Pepper and Coleslaw mix, stir well, then cover for 5-6 min. (It will cook down)</p><p>For the sauce, mix the Soy Sauce, Honey & Sriracha well, then add the Spring Onions.</p><p>Pour into the wok & cook uncovered for a few minutes until evenly combined and cooked through.</p><p><br /></p><p>Serve over rice & enjoy!</p><p><br /></p>Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-59141719933981739862020-04-24T09:24:00.000-07:002020-04-24T09:27:48.552-07:00My Snack HackI have always had a issue with Munchies Snack Mix.<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div><div><br></div><div>I don't think the pretzels belong. Munchies is a summer staple for us, we take a bag with us to the beach, but the kids also don't enjoy the pretzels, so they usually got tossed to the seagulls as we were leaving (don't feed the seagulls while you're there or you won't get a moment's peace!)</div><div><br></div><div>Chad brought a bag home from his office a few weeks ago, and I have been enjoying the occasional bowl in the evenings, but what to do with the pretzels? There is a distinct lack of seagulls where we live!</div><div><br></div><div>I accidentally came upon a solution. I left the pretzels in a bowl overnight, and the next morning at coffee time pretzels seemed like a reasonable snack! </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div><div><br></div><div>So, now I savour the cheezie goodness of Munchies in the evening, and keep a little bag out for the pretzels. Throughout the day I enjoy the pretzels! I still don't believe that pretzels belong in Munchie Mix, but now I have 2 snacks in one bag!</div><div><br></div>Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-26700125423844585032020-04-16T08:30:00.002-07:002020-12-29T16:18:30.720-08:00Home Schooling Week 5<div>
This homeschooling thing is no joke, but we're doing it. We just made it through the first 2 weeks of real school work (we did 3 weeks on our own before that) I am very thankful my kids are not in the French school anymore though, I wouldn't be able to read their textbooks or anything. They are pretty self sufficient, but I wouldn't be able to help them at all.</div>
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It makes me think of other families where the kids go to school, but the parents don't speak the language very well. We were very fortunate when we lived in PEI that I had quite a few friends who were French speaking and could help translate the school newsletters for me and tell me what I needed to do. Even not understanding one subject can be difficult for a parent thrown into this, but to not be able to understand any of the school work would be overwhelming!<br />
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I want to encourage you if you know anyone who may be struggling with the language barrier to check in on them, ask if there's any way you can help. FaceTime their kid and ask if they need anything explained. While you're at it, tell them something you've struggled with during this time. We're all failing at something, but there's also something we can give to others. Maybe it's homework help, maybe it's encouragement, or a laugh!</div>
Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-91204598447397183842020-04-12T13:39:00.002-07:002020-12-29T16:21:46.139-08:00Easter Egg Hunt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This year the kids really wanted to do an Easter Egg hunt. There were a few factors that were going to make this difficult:</div>
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1. Chad gave away our Easter Eggs at the children's message last year</div>
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2. There is still about a foot of snow on the ground</div>
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3. We don't let the kids have much candy, so I didn't want to fill a bunch of eggs with things they can't have.</div>
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So I decided instead to order some eggs from Amazon, & make a treasure hunt instead with a small prize at the end. The eggs were all filled with the location of the next egg, but the kids had to take turns giving clues, and finding the egg. The twist was that they were not allowed to say any of the words on the paper. I had ordered a pack of 100 eggs, and ended up using about 75 of them.</div>
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I did have about 8 small items that I put into a few of the eggs, but as the kids found them, they'd say, "Here, mom, I don't want this." So I was glad I didn't fill every egg! The kids really enjoyed it, and it was fun to see their wheels turning trying to think of ways to give the clue without saying the words. I also noticed a few times they would look right at the spot as they were thinking of it.</div>
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It took about an hour for them to do the egg hunt, and since they enjoy making treasure hunts for each other I'm sure we'll get lots of use out of our new eggs.Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-24401716958113785212020-03-25T13:19:00.000-07:002020-12-29T16:21:56.197-08:00Not Social Distancing<span id="docs-internal-guid-82900148-7fff-35fc-d99b-57c7ce96e6aa"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">It's crazy times. Who would have thought that we'd all be hunkering down at home not from a </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">natural disaster or some freak weather storm, but from an illness that came out of the blue. I know </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">there are lots of people who are frightened about what the future holds, not just for during this time in </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Quarantine, but after we come out of it. How many businesses will have to close? How many jobs </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">won't exist anymore? How many of our loved ones will have become ill, or even died from the virus?</span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-e0b96017-7fff-2e3f-eada-eebde42b772c" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">There's a lot of talk about physical health, but we need to also remember that our health is not just </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">based on if we have a fever or not. Health is a multi-faceted part of us. We have to find a balance of </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don't like the "Social Distancing" line that has been thrown around, because that makes it sound </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">like we should be antisocial. We should be Physically Distant, but now is the time to be there for </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">each other. This is an unprecedented time, and everyone is struggling with it in some way or </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">another. There are lots of extroverts who may get depressed if they can't socialize with others, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">which can also lead to health problems. There are many who are anxious with what the future will </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">hold, which leads to sleeplessness and burnout. Hopefully this will lead to a new normal where </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">people are more in tune with their mental health and it won't be such a stigma to say "I'm struggling. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I need help.".</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I have hope that this will lead to some positive changes in many ways. This could change the way </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">we interact in our communities. Maybe instead of driving into our garages and not talking to our </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">neighbours, we'll start to really care about one another and look after the needs around us.</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I've seen on FaceBook quite a few homeschooling parents telling all the parents who have suddenly </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">been thrown into quarantine schooling, that this isn't even normal for homeschoolers. It's n</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">ew </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">territory for everyone (pulling together, reassuring). They have said not to expect 6 hours of work </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">from your kids, most students do between 2-3 depending on what they are working on. That's </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">COMMUNITY!</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">It's important to remember these guidelines for adults working from home as well. There are many </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">parts of your normal workday that help break up the stress, that you are missing right now. It's </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">important to take into account the coffee breaks, drive time, etc. Locking yourself off from the world </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to work for 8 hours isn't healthy in a stressful time like this. It's really important to take care of your </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">body and mind (emotional, physical, mental,& spiritual health). Maybe it means working until </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">lunchtime, eating with the family, playing some board games, and going for a walk in the afternoon. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I'm sure you know that you can't do your best work if you're stressed. Two hours of good work is </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">better than 6 hours of stress an anxiety riddled work. Work yourself into more hours as you get used </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to this new normal. Take care of yourself, take care of your family, take care of your friends.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Remember, don't cut yourself off from everyone. Social Distancing doesn't mean Social Isolation! </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Call your friends, Play virtual poker, FaceTime that friend you haven't had time to connect with, Send </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">a message to say, "I was thinking about you... Remember when we went on that epic adventure?" </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Ask how they are REALLY doing. Let them know they are not alone. We're all in this together.</span></div>
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Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-35650295294330957592020-03-20T13:17:00.000-07:002020-03-20T13:17:17.388-07:00OvergeblevenI've got a small whiteboard on the fridge where I put my dinner ideas for the week. I don't usually assign the meals to days, but kind of play it by ear depending on how my day is going & how long some meals will take to prepare.<br />
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A few weeks ago I did a bit of research, and put my list on the board<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Hot Dogs, & Mac & Cheese </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Make Your Own Pizza </blockquote>
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- Overgebleven</blockquote>
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The kids were excited, Chancery loves Mac & Cheese, Asher loves Pizza, and what was the mysterious "Overgebleven"?<br />
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I told them, "You'll have to wait to find out, but it's Dutch, and I think you'll like it!<br />
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The day came when the only thing left on the board was "Overgebleven".<br />
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"Tonight's the night!" they said to each other excitedly.<br />
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I called them to the kitchen at 5pm, and handed them each an empty plate.<br />
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"Where is it? What is Overgebleven?" they asked.<br />
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I pulled the leftover Mac & Cheese, Hot Dog, & Pizza out of the fridge and told them to load up their plates.<br />
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Kids: "What do you mean? We're supposed to have Overgebleven!"<br />
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Me: "This is overgebleven. it's 'Leftover' in Dutch!"<br />
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And that was the night the children ate through tears, and I learned (once again) not to get the children's expectations too high, because apparently even though they liked the original food, having it again as a leftover when it was masquerading as something new and fun is MEAN!Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-46303607911348110372019-09-16T17:10:00.000-07:002019-09-18T08:46:09.609-07:00Moving Onwards and Upwards (North)Time for another update! It seems like my posts are getting fewer & farther between, but I think I have a solution to that problem. It must be time to move!<br>
<br>
Our church has been going through some restructuring over the past year, & as part of that process, decided to reduce to one full-time pastor. So, Chad has received a job offer at a church in Lacombe, Alberta, & we decided it sounded like a pretty good move for our family. We are ready to give up the city life & try our hand at country living for awhile!<br>
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The kids are really excited to have more room to explore, & trees to climb. They are already trying to talk us into buying ATVs for them. We're moving farther away from my parents again, but they had 4 years, & they like to travel, so we're just giving them the opportunity to explore a new area! We'll be about 4 hours from Chad's family, so it'll be nice for the kids to be closer to their cousins too.</div>
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Now comes the stressful part. Getting the house ready to sell, going to look for a new house, getting the kids registered at the new school, getting moving quotes (<a href="http://csvan.blogspot.com/2016/05/dont-move-with-canadian-moving-systems.html">I'll tell you what company we're NOT using!</a>), & figuring out all the logistics! Our goal is to be there by Christmas, but how we'll manage that is yet to be seen. I foresee a busy few months ahead, but it will be worth it! I really enjoy setting up our home when we move, it's just getting to that point that isn't always fun. Especially once the house is for sale & you have to keep cleaning all the things!<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMz8NRcuBeQQHMsIwR_uJZpcy8CVfD_gsfVhdVNuUGUeTHJejuQhpjWlq6IKfK4lIncZ2FpUrHFJVOIHqXiGdFjYyAn6ODvqXxaATLv31HcJjt13AWXbsLL9efsUcovFuooHy76YqNOk/s1600/clean.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMz8NRcuBeQQHMsIwR_uJZpcy8CVfD_gsfVhdVNuUGUeTHJejuQhpjWlq6IKfK4lIncZ2FpUrHFJVOIHqXiGdFjYyAn6ODvqXxaATLv31HcJjt13AWXbsLL9efsUcovFuooHy76YqNOk/s1600/clean.png"></a></div>
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Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-68640580490917672892019-08-31T15:50:00.002-07:002019-09-16T16:30:10.586-07:00After School Schedule<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">As we gear up for the beginning of school, I thought I'd share our after school schedule that I keep on</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> the fridge. It started as a note for babysitters, so they would not be fooled by our innocent childrens' </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">penchant for bending the rules, but it has proved beneficial for the kids to also know the daily routine.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> Feel free to copy, & let me know if you have any additions or other helpful tips!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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----------------------------------------</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">When the kids get home from school:</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-558724a2-7fff-dd60-9d75-11820687cc90" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">-Empty lunch bags</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">-Have snack</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">-Practice Piano -20 min</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">-Read for 20 min</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">5:00 they may play video games or watch TV</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Dinner around 5:30/6:00</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">After Dinner make lunches, if they can’t cooperate in the kitchen, only 1 at a time.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">7:00 Reading Time: (Shower if needed)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">-Toilet</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> -Teeth</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> -PJs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> -Book</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">8:00 Lights Out!</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">If the kids can’t agree on something, use common sense, & don’t be afraid to say NO!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The kids also have ‘days’, odd=Asher’s choice, even=Chancery’s</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">There’s a paper by the TV which tells you what channel the TV needs to be on</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> to watch TV/play video games</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">If you have any questions, Sherilyn’s cell 604-xxx-xxxx, Chad's cell 778-xxx-xxxx,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Home phone 778-xxx-xxxx</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wifi: "WiFi Name"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Password: "CleverPassword"</span></div>
Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-45252318050670669312019-07-17T10:00:00.000-07:002019-07-17T10:00:01.031-07:00Twenty Years!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbtHAbiTS6fyYsa5Qfb6cdU__GJmsK64UsekKyyMg6K73oH0O3BK5bNhvhzOCMcmR-mTEnGZBtSMNmwdGwVgxPqIoHmwmYqUnjIbnsu8jyOY9OBWyAyIIXulw4v_At_818m98UM42yRI/s1600/20190619_164511%257E2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1268" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbtHAbiTS6fyYsa5Qfb6cdU__GJmsK64UsekKyyMg6K73oH0O3BK5bNhvhzOCMcmR-mTEnGZBtSMNmwdGwVgxPqIoHmwmYqUnjIbnsu8jyOY9OBWyAyIIXulw4v_At_818m98UM42yRI/s400/20190619_164511%257E2.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This post is all about the numbers...</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chad & I are celebrating our 20th Wedding Anniversary today, so I thought I'd compile some of the things we have done in the second half of my life!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="background-color: white; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have had a few pets</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 cats</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 dogs</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">4 fish</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">plus lots of farm cats, some with names, some not.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoP-VsZTGo1y2Vu1SC-OWgbPVbozcyIzj1uK8TkzUfX2cKm_G06R9FaFts7FiCT5JaFuPi7Yb6MSz7_WSlBXxW87-Y171plVMxWyF-40mbZqrB7UoslaE2VRHLBfcyaCJyQBUhe_aKCo4/s1600/8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1544" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoP-VsZTGo1y2Vu1SC-OWgbPVbozcyIzj1uK8TkzUfX2cKm_G06R9FaFts7FiCT5JaFuPi7Yb6MSz7_WSlBXxW87-Y171plVMxWyF-40mbZqrB7UoslaE2VRHLBfcyaCJyQBUhe_aKCo4/s400/8.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We've owned quite a few vehicles, & not one of them was wrecked!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 SUV</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 Trucks</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">6 Cars</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">13 Motorbikes</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI95HoNaxTtSWgR6Uxg5QIMNV21SSLgtPi0Bi5ydLOicdUQiV3W1fv9Qq-AzBLDBogmavCeMn3YUL1sUXfF6th-bXdJyd5j5JrNH9KlkZeTpfXrEOypUn9QIhH3iqiNgg_c_GZAT0-InE/s1600/33.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1544" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI95HoNaxTtSWgR6Uxg5QIMNV21SSLgtPi0Bi5ydLOicdUQiV3W1fv9Qq-AzBLDBogmavCeMn3YUL1sUXfF6th-bXdJyd5j5JrNH9KlkZeTpfXrEOypUn9QIhH3iqiNgg_c_GZAT0-InE/s400/33.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, considering when I met Chad he was planning on being a farmer, which was perfect since I didn't want to move a lot, our life has not gone according to plan in that department!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have lived in</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 State</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">3 Countries</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">4 Provinces</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcc9y4tp57NctYTJolMy-iYlR1voDizXcw9i4x81PGtibifScvOfimtQ7zAVjwm3572uKt0D20sEb__ZJejGDec5PGQhbOE3PGhVGXDxcGd43lmrinopN9b-ItP75KHUtQLIv-cWQWGiU/s1600/8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1544" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcc9y4tp57NctYTJolMy-iYlR1voDizXcw9i4x81PGtibifScvOfimtQ7zAVjwm3572uKt0D20sEb__ZJejGDec5PGQhbOE3PGhVGXDxcGd43lmrinopN9b-ItP75KHUtQLIv-cWQWGiU/s400/8.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many types of homes</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 Parsonage</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 Housesit</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 Co-Housing</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">4 Apartments</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">5</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Houses</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVADUVe6JvJmzLsA_qJScs9LxQgGob5H5Lxz6rie2zANWFqjxIQRdENj3CCLple2hUNIem20fXYlEuDs_x0-xyY_zdnPzL6aWR3NbhS7A718QCkTqfXfWNR2ikivDqJMjz5jr8PPT08U/s1600/8-066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVADUVe6JvJmzLsA_qJScs9LxQgGob5H5Lxz6rie2zANWFqjxIQRdENj3CCLple2hUNIem20fXYlEuDs_x0-xyY_zdnPzL6aWR3NbhS7A718QCkTqfXfWNR2ikivDqJMjz5jr8PPT08U/s400/8-066.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Which required</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">13 Change of Address Forms</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">10 Home phone numbers</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">8 Cell Phone Numbers</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnjFutjch8X7x5YSNBBvUGRYyo8xTpJwIAiYvh3N3JakTG6jQ6R_oixwBVg5BVV0lSzr2jLTzYW2wgZtmi_2zcW_9_AQZcRUZFTGxbw4vf0qG3mCoveEVEsXo8dd0I9FxbkKiVyRxagg/s1600/IMG_20160616_122055046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnjFutjch8X7x5YSNBBvUGRYyo8xTpJwIAiYvh3N3JakTG6jQ6R_oixwBVg5BVV0lSzr2jLTzYW2wgZtmi_2zcW_9_AQZcRUZFTGxbw4vf0qG3mCoveEVEsXo8dd0I9FxbkKiVyRxagg/s400/IMG_20160616_122055046.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We have tra</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">velled quite a bit, & made it to</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">13 countries</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">19 Passports (including the kids')</span></span><br />
11 years of documenting every trip outside of Canada for immigration (there were 28)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMltEoQtxLuhYo-n6G5bAgIw2Yk6Xe26oe1VNBj5EzJofL3J42h48qtbjWK48ZUYGkqZw93EjkXkS0wWDAqABQe8JWWvX5K93qcAiAA6bKei8JQfkAw6LNJuXAQL4xTTsM0ZDsEIhU-o4/s1600/IMG_2105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMltEoQtxLuhYo-n6G5bAgIw2Yk6Xe26oe1VNBj5EzJofL3J42h48qtbjWK48ZUYGkqZw93EjkXkS0wWDAqABQe8JWWvX5K93qcAiAA6bKei8JQfkAw6LNJuXAQL4xTTsM0ZDsEIhU-o4/s400/IMG_2105.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have completed</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">4 Degrees</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 Certificates</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">(though none are mine, I still get to count them!)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have had a total of</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">10 job titles</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">and worked for</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">14 Employers</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vzwDAJUmPmm4gYFqkMQbUvtauHQc7anytzJh8FNW-6bf_pfKpo7hHGRCEMRoDVjc_m0NY7XkZCQSW3sHxBDQQkdbRglZjJrikGT0IO3WgWe4JXFmljhYAM9mFPE4Cb9EUhGnsoSRNeA/s1600/125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vzwDAJUmPmm4gYFqkMQbUvtauHQc7anytzJh8FNW-6bf_pfKpo7hHGRCEMRoDVjc_m0NY7XkZCQSW3sHxBDQQkdbRglZjJrikGT0IO3WgWe4JXFmljhYAM9mFPE4Cb9EUhGnsoSRNeA/s400/125.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have hosted</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">5 homestay students</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">and we made</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 kids (We doubled the size of our family!)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqs0u31uAnFZ732TdcjytbKL3DQzJx1W-gbXbMZCMWVOIKCqB2ZPXryhsJ8c_sG3Zhc1c0xkXX5FcJErvIIGGfHXldGccIzNJ4dAWtWsRNZ261SjgoAvxOgRoEaBpcqKk-i7tb5LZlSrQ/s1600/IMG_3420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqs0u31uAnFZ732TdcjytbKL3DQzJx1W-gbXbMZCMWVOIKCqB2ZPXryhsJ8c_sG3Zhc1c0xkXX5FcJErvIIGGfHXldGccIzNJ4dAWtWsRNZ261SjgoAvxOgRoEaBpcqKk-i7tb5LZlSrQ/s400/IMG_3420.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #202124;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our life is certainly much different from what we had planned, but there's no one I'd rather be on this journey with! During one of the first major life-changing moves we were embarking on, one of my co-workers asked, "So, Chad's going to do that, but are you going to go with him?"</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #202124;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #202124;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I answered, "Yes, of course I am. We're married!"</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #202124;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #202124;"><span style="background-color: white; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">When my co-worker replied, "But that's not what you signed up for when you married him."</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #202124;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we got married, I literally signed up for <i><u>him</u></i>. I never signed a contract to be a farmer's wife, or live in a certain place, but I did sign a vow that I'd be married to Chad for whatever comes in life, good or bad. We're not the same people we were when we got married 20 years ago (thankfully!), but all our experiences have brought us closer, since the only thing that has stayed the same through all of this is that we are in it <u>together</u>.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #202124;"><span style="background-color: white; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">It will be interesting to see how the numbers will change in the next 20 years...</span></span><br />
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Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-21035079003546112152019-06-01T17:16:00.003-07:002019-06-01T17:16:57.636-07:00Have a Cow!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Chad & Asher were gone for a few days last week, so Chancery & I were left home alone to fend for ourselves. On Wednesday afternoon we set out to deliver Asher's newspapers, & as we were walking past the neighbour's garbage bins I noticed a large painting with a "FREE" sign on it. The neighbour was standing on his driveway, so I asked if I could have it & he said yes!</div>
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I quickly brought my free painting home, not knowing where I'd put it, but I figured I could find a spot for such a beautiful piece of art. I set it in the front room, & dashed off to help Chancery on the paper route. </div>
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As I passed the neighbour the second time, he said, "Thank you!"</div>
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I replied "You're welcome! Thank you, I love my new painting!"</div>
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He then responded, "You're Welcome." I could tell he wasn't eager for this particular exchange to continue, so I walked onward.</div>
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When we returned home I noticed that the colours really complemented the front room, so I added sticky hooks to my list, so I could hang the portrait in the place of honour above the fireplace.</div>
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Friday I had all the supplies I needed, so I called my friend & asked her to help me hang my painting. We did some calculations to figure out the best placement for the 2 hooks in order to have the painting both centered & level. I knew there was no way Chad would let me keep my new artwork of it was hung crooked or off center!</div>
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I decided to not say anything, & see how long it would take for Chad to notice. Asher walked in the door & immediately said, "Funny, mom says we have too much stuff in this house, then we leave for a few days & she goes out & buys a new painting!"</div>
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But it was FREE, & it is BEAUTIFUL, & it's a COW!</div>
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Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-49662476750749028492019-05-26T20:29:00.001-07:002019-05-26T20:29:47.730-07:00Cease and Desist<p dir="ltr">Today I was talking to Mr. G after church about transit engineers.  Now, to me, "Transit Engineer" could have 2 meanings... The first would be, "a person who plans & designs for transit", the second, "a person who drives transit, like a train driver". So I asked which type of engineer he was referring to, & he informed me that Transit Engineers are only the former, in Canada, & the latter is a "driver".  If a person who drives were to publish a paper, for instance, & call themselves an "engineer", they'd get a cease & desist letter.  It was an enlightening conversation!</p>
<p dir="ltr">Another friend, Miss K, walked up & handed me some cash for some vases I picked up at a thrift store for her, & we were discussing how many more they still needed for an upcoming event.  I told her, "I'll keep looking for them until you tell me to decease."  A moment later I realized I had messed up the 'cease & desist' phrase! </p>
Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-54930226001738610062019-05-14T16:56:00.002-07:002019-05-14T16:56:57.863-07:00Georgia on My MindIf you will recall, I always have an adventurous time when I fly (If you missed these tales, just peruse the posts labeled "<a href="http://csvan.blogspot.com/search/label/flying">Flying</a>"). Last month I had a meeting in Grand Rapids, & this trip was no exception...<div>
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I have a friend, Beth, who lives near Chicago who also would be attending the meeting, so I decided to fly to Chicago, stay with her for a day, then we'd drive down together for the meeting. Another member of our meeting squad, Alicia, recently moved to BC, & we encouraged her to join us for our mini road trip, but she couldn't make it work.</div>
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I flew out to Chicago Monday afternoon. A straight shot, one flight, no problem. We spent the next morning thrift shopping, & enjoying some delicious donuts. My friend Allison used to live in PEI & now lives within a few miles of Beth, so Beth & I decided to go visit her for coffee that afternoon. While we were there Beth keep getting texts from a number she didn't recognize. After we left Allison's, she checked the messages, & they were from Alicia. Her flight was delayed, then cancelled, & the airline wanted to fly her through Chicago, have her stay in a hotel overnight, then fly down to Grand Rapids. The three of us decided a better, & more fun course of action would be for us to pick her up in Chicago, & she could drive down with us the next day. Sometimes flight problems end up better than planned!</div>
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After our meetings, it was time to head home. My flight plan was Grand Rapids-Atlanta-Calgary-Vancouver. I decided since I was travelling alone that I'd offer to be bumped. I figured with 3 flights my chances were pretty good.</div>
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The first bump in the day was the security line. I have NEXUS, so I can go through the Trusted Traveller line in the airport, but I have had it twice now in Grand Rapids that they do not view NEXUS as the same as TSA Pre-check, so I had to go through the regular line. (I have since discovered when you're checking in online you have to enter your NEXUS number as the "Known Flyer Number", then I can use the quick line. It's like they try to make it difficult!) Now, whenever I go to the States, I usually stock up on some of the candies & foods that I can't get in Canada. I had to take all the food out of my bags. Apparently I forgot to remove the box of Suzy-Qs from my suitcase, so they had to open the suitcase, open the box & check them. Then I had the joy of repacking them all.</div>
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When I got to Atlanta I went to the counter for my flight to Calgary which was scheduled for 5pm. They were over booked but didn't seem all that concerned about it. There were several people in line trying to get seats on the flight. There was a couple that the man had a seat, but the woman didn't, there was a lady trying to get tot Calgary for a transplant, & a few others. So when I got to the ticket agent I said, "I'd be willing to give up my seat."</div>
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The agent said, "You're volunteering?"</div>
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Me: "Sure, I'm not in a rush."</div>
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Agent: "Would you need a hotel?"</div>
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Me: "I don't think so." I figured I'd maybe get a morning flight, but it's a lot of hassle to leave the airport & try to get a morning shuttle back in time for the flight. I could handle a night in the airport.</div>
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The boarded all the other passengers & the ticket agent said, "Ok, see you tomorrow!"</div>
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Me: "What is my new flight info?"</div>
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Agent: "Same time, same place."</div>
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Me: "Oh... could I get some food vouchers?"</div>
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Agent: "I should be able to get you some. Hang on."</div>
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He got on the phone to whoever deems people worthy of food vouchers, & he keep saying, "She volunteered." Apparently, since I had not used the word "Bumped", & the airline had not asked for people to be "Bumped" I was just a kind soul who bequeathed her seat to a lady so she could fly with her husband... The airline deemed me unworthy of food for my troubles.</div>
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The agent took pity on me & said, "Come with me."</div>
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So, I followed him a short way down the hall, to an ATM, where he took $20 out of his own account & gave it to me.</div>
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So, I had 24 hours to wait in the airport, & $20 American dollars!</div>
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I wandered around a bit, decided to have dinner at TGI Fridays (why NOT have a long leisurely supper, it's not like I was rushed for time!), then found a Delta customer service desk & attempted to become their new best friend. Since it was still more than 12 hours before my flight, I had not been given a boarding pass, & no one could print me one since there was not a WetJet desk inside the terminal. If I wanted to talk to WestJet personnel, I could leave the security area & go to the main area of the terminal, but I didn't want to get stuck outside of the area where the amenities were, & have to deal with re-entry, especially since I had no boarding pass. It looked like I'd have to take some lessons from Tom Hanks in the movie "The Terminal".</div>
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I spoke with a few Delta agents, & they told me that since the ticket was WestJet, they couldn't rebook me on any other flights, only a WestJet person could. Since I have a Canadian cell phone, they let me use one of their phones & call the WestJet helpline. I spoke with a very pleasant man who tried in vain to help me, but since my flight was booked through a travel agent, even WestJet couldn't release my ticket to another airline. He could rebook me on other flights, but the only way from Atlanta to Vancouver involved more stops than the one I had in Calgary, therefore it would cost the airline more to transfer me, so he was powerless.</div>
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He asked me, "How did you get yourself into this position?"</div>
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I said, "Apparently I 'volunteered' to give up my seat instead of being asked to be 'bumped'."</div>
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Agent: "Oh I'm sorry to hear that. You sound like a very nice person though!"</div>
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Me: "Thanks! Would you like to reward my kindness bu getting me out of here sooner than tomorrow at 5pm?"</div>
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Agent: "I would like to, but there's unfortunately nothing I can do."</div>
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So I went back to talk to the Delta ladies& they kindly gave me a blanket, a travel kit with toiletries, & told me where the area with the comfortable chairs was. I headed that direction, since it was now 10pm, & I wanted to get a good spot. The area I'd been told about had big wide cushioned seats that were moveable & didn't have armrests. I maneuvered 2 chairs so I had comfy couch I could stretch out on. I had my laptop with me, so I found a movie to watch & settled in for the night. I managed to sleep quite well, despite the location of my accomodations. About halfway through the night another traveller left their little couch/bed, & left behind a blanket & a pillow. I snuck over & claimed them. When I awoke in the morning I was very confused trying to figure out what had happened to the extra blanket & the pillow... Turns out, that was just a dream, there was no extra blanket or pillow, but perhaps I slept better since I <u>believed</u> I was warm & comfortable!</div>
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In the morning I made my way to McDonalds for a delicious Egg McMuffin, the breakfast of champions! I still had 7 hours until my flight, so I decided to look for souvenirs & see if anything really got my attention...</div>
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Did you know there's a train in the Atlanta airport?</div>
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Did you know there's a moving walkway in the basement of the Atlanta airport?</div>
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Did you know one section of the basement is made to look and SOUND like a jungle in the Atlanta airport?</div>
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Did you know there are 7 concourses in the Atlanta airport?</div>
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Do you know the Concourses are labeled T, A, B, C, D, E, F?</div>
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I made it to every concourse except T. I decided to leave something for next time.</div>
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I rode the train from one end to the other, around the end of the line (where you are supposed to get off, but I didn't feel like it).</div>
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I walked over 12 km (7miles) in the 24 hours I was in the Atlanta airport.</div>
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I ate at PF Chang's for the first time in my life while I was in the Atlanta airport.</div>
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I was given a free glass of champagne at PF Chang's while I was in the Atlanta airport!</div>
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I discovered I don't like champagne when I was at PF Chang's while I was in the Atlanta airport!</div>
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I discovered champagne is not improved by having Dr Pepper added to it when I was at PF Chang's while I was in the Atlanta airport!</div>
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I visited several souvenir shops, & found many different shirts...</div>
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Should I get a "Georgia" shirt? No, I can't really say that I have seen much of Georgia.</div>
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Should I get an "Atlanta" shirt? No, I haven't seen much of Atlanta either.</div>
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Then I found the souvenir I needed...</div>
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A hoodie, with the Atlanta airport code!</div>
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As I wandered around the airport I realized I had been in the airport too long. <span style="text-align: center;">I was beginning to get amused by the strangest things...</span></div>
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"No, YOU thart!"</div>
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Why did they choose to do the lettering colouring that way? It made no sense to me...</div>
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It was getting closer to my departure time, so I headed off to my gate. It was the same group of agents as the day before. The $20 man said, "Are you finally going home?"</div>
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Me: "I'm going to try!"</div>
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Agent:" Well, the flight's pretty full, who knows, you could get another day here!"</div>
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Me: "Only if it's worth my while!"</div>
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Agent: "You should have waited about 10 minutes yesterday. We would have asked people to be bumped & you could have been compensated."</div>
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Me: "NOW you tell me!"</div>
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Agent: "Yeah, when you volunteer you get nothing. You got to be BUMPED!"</div>
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Amazingly they did not have more guests than seats, so I managed to make my way onto the flight. I even got a window seat!</div>
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In Calgary we had to go through customs, & after that you exit into the main area of the terminal, & you have to go back through security to get your next flight. I was in the "Trusted Travelers" line (I had read through all the rules during my stay in Atlanta, so I knew where to put int information in when I checked in). I was waiting behind a mom with a crying toddler who was having some trouble getting all their stuff put on the table because of all the tears & sadness the child was bringing on her journey. A man lined up behind me, & then a security agent came up with a woman in a wheelchair beside me, & the wheelchair lady's entourage. The man behind me decided he had waited long enough, said, "excuse me," & pushed past until he was behind the crying toddler.</div>
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Now, remember, I had been in airports for about 30 hours at this point, so I may have been a little snippier than usual. I said, "We're all in line here."</div>
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Man: "Well, I was ahead of you."</div>
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Me: "No, you weren't, but by all means, go right ahead."</div>
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Man: "You came with the wheelchair."</div>
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Me: "No, I was here before them, waiting, but I'll go after you."</div>
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Man: "Oh, I thought you were with them."</div>
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Me: "I'm not."</div>
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Man: "Well, you can go ahead of me."</div>
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Me: "Thank you!"</div>
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After that I got through security, made it to my gate & on my flight without incident. The only other issue with the flight was that apparently, everyone likes to take a carry-on suitcase now, since checked luggage costs money to take along. However, there is not enough room for everyone's carry-ons, so they offer to check your luggage to your final destination at the gate, but it ends up on the carousel & you can't pick it up at the gate at the other end of your flight anymore. I was very thankful to have not checked my luggage though while I was in Atlanta, since I could then change into clean clothes (I could have put my PJs on for the night, but I figured that was a step too far). But in Calgary not enough people wanted their luggage gate checked, so the last 6 people's luggage didn't fit, & they had to take their suitcases all the way back to the agent for a tag to get checked, so our flight was about 20 minutes late. The pilot even offered to give them "employee" tags so they could be picked up at the gate, & we could leave on time, but the agent wouldn't allow it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, I made it home, one day later than planned, but with lots of stories! I still can't figure out why Chad is so averse to flying with me. It's always so exciting!</div>
Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-54337326553974243122019-05-12T14:45:00.000-07:002019-05-12T14:48:12.304-07:00Goodbye, RoseYesterday morning I received a phone call from my Aunt. My cousin (who I have been helping to clean out Grandma's attic), had called our Aunt in a bit of hysterics, because she had found a mouse nest in her dresser drawer. My Aunt asked if I could call my cousin to see if there was anything I could do to talk her out of tearing her room apart in fear of the Hantavirus.<br />
<br />
I messaged my cousin, <span style="color: purple;">"I heard you had an excellent start to your weekend"</span><br />
<br />
Her reply, <span style="color: red;">"Super, Super great"</span><br />
<br />
I decided it would be best to just Skype her, to get to the bottom of just how serious this was.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">"So, a mouse nest?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">"Yep, I only found it because I accidently opened the wrong drawer. I haven't opened this drawer since October, so I have no idea how long it's been there."</span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple;">"You need to change your underwear more often than that."</span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red;">"Haha, it's not my underwear drawer!"</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple;">"I guess it must have heard that you wanted all the mice out of Grandma's attic, so it decided to move in with you."</span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red;">"That's not funny."</span><br />
<br />
I can tell she is distraught. <span style="color: purple;">"Do you need help?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">"That would be awesome!"</span><br />
<br />
I had an open morning, so I decided to head on down to the States to help her out. When I cross the border I am always entertained by the ritual of being questioned by the border guards, & this was no exception.<br />
<br />
Guard: "What brings you down to the States today?"<br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">"My cousin found a mouse nest in her dresser drawer."</span><br />
<br />
"Doesn't she have a man in her life?"<br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">"Her dad thinks she's over reacting."</span><br />
<br />
"I see... Good luck!"<br />
<br />
*************************<br />
<br />
I arrived & we donned gloves, ready for the task at hand. The offending mouse had made her nest in the middle drawer of the 3 drawer chest. The drawer was already pulled halfway open, displaying it's soft nest made of fluff painstakingly pulled from the bed's boxspring, & carried to the other corner of the room, lovingly placed upon my cousin's seldom used halloween costumes. I pulled the drawer the rest of the way out & put it on the deck, & went back for the top drawer. As I removed the top drawer, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, & perhaps a tail, but it was hard to know. Was I imagining things?<br />
<br />
I handed the drawer to my cousin, & said, <span style="color: purple;">"I think the mouse might still be in the dresser."</span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red;">"Are you serious?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">"Now I'm hearing noises from under the drawer, so I'm 99% sure it's in here."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">"I'm getting the cat!"</span><br />
<br />
She brought the cat into the room & quickly shut the door... but she remained outside of the room! In the meantime I had commandeered a plastic shopping bag in which to trap the mouse since it was still inside the dresser frame. It was woman & beast versus smaller but quicker beast. The event was on! I brought the cat over to the closet where the dresser was, & took out the final drawer. <span style="color: purple;">"Ok, cat, do your thing!"</span><br />
<br />
Apparently the cat's thing had nothing to do with catching mice, but had more to do with removing herself from the room. She promptly went to sit by the door. I picked her back up & plopped her back down by the now skeletal frame of the dresser. <span style="color: purple;">"Just jump in there & get the mouse!"</span><br />
<br />
I'm pretty sure I heard the cat mutter "Go right ahead..."<br />
<br />
At this point I called my cousin back in the room. I needed reinforcements stronger than a disinterested cat. We brainstormed a bit...<br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">"Should we try to catch it?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">"With what?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">"Do you have a butterfly net?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">"No."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">"Do we try to hit it with something?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">"Like what?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">"A spatula? Or step on it?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">"I'll get you some boots."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">"That might be helpful."</span><br />
<br />
At this point I was only wearing socks. She returned with boots, a piece of cardboard & a yardstick. In all the lack of excitement on the cat's part I had lost track of our dear pet mouse, so we carefully checked & removed each & every shoe from the other half of the closet. Our mouse was not in the bottom of the closet... Had she climbed up onto the top shelf? Was she in the folds of the clothes hanging in the closet?<br />
<br />
We stayed still for awhile & heard some mouse-like noises from under the desk beside the closet. We shone the flashlight under the desk & slowly removed items from below the desk until we had gotten everything out & the mouse decided to head back into the dresser she knew & loved. Our plan at this point was not a good one, but it was our plan. My cousin would shine the light at the mouse, I would reach into the frame of the dresser with the plastic shopping bag over my hand & grab the mouse!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">"Try not to get bitten!"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">"Great idea!"</span><br />
<br />
I reached in. The mouse didn't move. I got my hand closer. The mouse didn't move. I shot my hand out & grabbed... NOTHING! At the last second she had moved to the front corner! We repositioned, sized each other up once again. Time for the second attempt. Maybe I should just go for it right away... GRAB!<br />
<br />
I felt something furry touch my elbow. I may or may not have yelped.<br />
<br />
Now the mouse was on the other half of the closet floor. We were very glad we had already taken all the shoes out. All that was left were a few small plastic boxes, which we surrounded her with.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">"Maybe we should try to trap her in something like a spider."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">"Instead of bashing her on the head with the garbage can, we could trap her in it! We really should have a camera crew follow us around. Can you imagine how fun that would be?"</span><br />
<br />
My cousin helpfully handed me the metal, vintage, Peanuts garbage can. I acted fast & successfully trapped the mouse! I could hear her scrabbling from inside the can!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">"I got it! Hand me the cardboard!"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">"It has a hole in it, make sure it doesn't get out the hole!"</span><br />
<br />
I slid the cardboard under the garbage can, & picked up the can with the mouse & held the cardboard tightly underneath. Then I quickly flipped the whole contraption over hearing a satisfying 'thump' when I did so.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">"Ok, what do you want to do with it?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">"If we let it go in the field, it'll probably just come back."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">"How do you want to kill it?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">"I don't know."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">"Do you have a hose?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">"I'm not really comfortable with drowning it."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">"We won't be able to thump it with something. It's too fast!"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">"Ok, I'll get the hose."</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple;">"And bring your phone. We really need to get this on video."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">"You want to make a video of us drowning a mouse?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">"Maybe not. But we can take a picture after we do it to prove to your dad that you weren't overreacting!"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">"Ok, I'll meet you by the hose."</span><br />
<br />
We slid the cardboard just enough so we could fit the end of the hose through the hole & filled the garbage can about halfway. I know if we filled it too much the cardboard would get wet, & I didn't want the mouse to be able to get out that way. We heard some scratching on the side of the can, then it got quiet. I sloshed the can a bit back & forth, then tapped on the cardboard incase the mouse had found a way to cling to the roof like spider-man. The last thing I wanted to was to take the lid off & have a drenched, angry mouse after me! There was a little more scrabbling, then it was quiet again, so I repeated my slosh & tap technique, but heard nothing else. I slid the cardboard to peer down the hole, still a little afraid of the mouse suddenly jumping out at me, but our task was complete.<br />
<br />
When I removed the piece of cardboard we discovered that in the bottom of the garbage can was a piece of cardboard that had been cut to perfectly line the bottom. As we had filled the can with water, that piece of cardboard had floated up creating a scene like that of Rose in the movie "Titanic" where she is floating on the door. The cardboard was not quite buoyant enough to hold the mouse up, but just enough to give her false hope.<br />
<br />
We took a picture to send to my Uncle, showing that the job was done. I was tasked with depositing 'Rose' on the compost pile at the back of the yard, then it was time to head back home. More than we bargained for, but not more than we could handle!<br />
<br />
Just as I passed through the small town near my cousin's house, a bird fell onto the road right in front of my car & I ran over it... Watch out critters, I'm on a roll!<br />
<br />
Does everyone have this kind of madcap adventure when they go to the States? Maybe it's just my family... Who knows, maybe it's ME!Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-40941275530511343802019-02-23T11:13:00.001-08:002019-02-23T11:13:33.337-08:00Tortellini Soup<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">This is a favourite around here, but we never know what to do with the other half of the cabbage!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Tortellini Soup</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">500 gr Italian Sausages</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">5 C Water</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">2 (14.5 oz) Cans Stewed Tomatoes with Juice</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">2 tsp Basil</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">1 pkg Dry Onion Soup</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">2 C Tortellini</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">3 C Shredded Cabbage</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">In a large pot over medium high heat, saute sausage until browned and crumbly (5 min).</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Pour in water, tomatoes, basil, onion soup mix.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 min.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Stir in tortellini and cabbage.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Simmer until tortellini is cooked (10-15 min)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4351739677251859758.post-87591314502178242402019-01-24T15:14:00.000-08:002019-02-23T15:21:17.958-08:00Homeward Bound<br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We arrived tired & hungry in Toronto around midnight. Wandered around & found Subway & had a snack. We had been told to go to a special area to sleep, & after going there we discovered there was a TV show filming there, so the area was closed, & the extra seating was also full. Eventually found a quiet spot with some heat vents to sleep on, & had a nap.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7nwBpM0pRbNqP0Ej6g23oD2G5pIL9zHvdOS13QKy4v-22xDFLe3m8tqO0V4ljdCt-W0IAqDHcHaZUWpC3jwvA88VMbatLIpHMq4sTiQFHeFck_nvTmsellPF5zh60-v9y6CdolEvbb00/s1600/2019-01-24+04.07.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7nwBpM0pRbNqP0Ej6g23oD2G5pIL9zHvdOS13QKy4v-22xDFLe3m8tqO0V4ljdCt-W0IAqDHcHaZUWpC3jwvA88VMbatLIpHMq4sTiQFHeFck_nvTmsellPF5zh60-v9y6CdolEvbb00/s400/2019-01-24+04.07.43.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">At 5 o'clock we parted ways with Luke & Tara so we could get through security & go to our gate for our 7 am departure. Boarded on time, & slept as best I could for most of the flight. Retrieved our luggage, & caught the shuttle to get our car.</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Went home, dozed on the couch, got the lowdown from Mom & Dad about the week with the kids, made an easy supper, put the kids to bed, had a bath & early bedtime for us since we had essentially been up for 40 hours.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Overall it was a great trip, the people we met in Cuba were all wonderful. They were super friendly & the staff at the resort bent over backwards to help with whatever crazy request we had. It was great to spend time with Luke & Tara again, & for me to have a partner in crime as we went on our crazy adventures. I definitely want to go back to Cuba again at some point & experience more of the Cuban culture!</span>Sherilyn -Dominee Huisvrouwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699722638129047711noreply@blogger.com0