falling in love again

The other day I headed off, again, to Grand Forks, ND to pick up the rest of our belongings in storage. It was a great day - all to myself.  I needed that time alone quite badly.... I don't think I knew how much I needed it until I had it.  And it was good.  And I fell in love again.... with my new old home.

 I have been struggling with being here - struggling a lot.  And I am still to some extent - but I have rediscovered the passion I have for the prairies.... the passion that I have had for my entire life, save the last few months.

 These sunflower pictures were taken the first day I returned, with my mom, to Grand Forks for the first load.  It was a beautiful, hot, hot day and I had to stop to capture these beautiful flowers.   That was August 28th.

A week and two days later - September 6th - the flowers looked like this.

 Just a few days of some very intense heat and those same bright sunny fields were full of dark, heavy heads, almost ready for harvest.

While the sunny yellow flowers are more cheery and "beautiful", it was the second day in which I had a distinct moment where I realized that I was back in love.  The fields, the trees (there are a lot, just not in the space between Steinbach and Winnipeg!), and most especially, the sky and clouds.  I have always loved, loved, loved the sky.  I am constantly wanting to take pictures of the clouds/sky even though I am often in a car or some place where you just can't do it justice.

Another thing I love is the people.  I've been going to a lot of garage and yard sales lately and chatting it up with the locals.  They are wonderful people, as a whole.  Plus, they are selling a whole lot of stuff that I am super excited about for great prices.  I have a garage full of projects - so excited!!  

On my way back from Grand Forks, for example, I stopped at a yard sale.  While I'm not picturing anything I did buy there (I'm sure I'll do that yet), there were some dandies at this sale, to be sure! Anyway who wanted to furnish their place in circa 70s would have been in for a real treat!  For example, take this lamp with a two foot (at least) tall gold, crushed velvet shade.... and just for a dollar!

 Then they had a matching pair of these also very very large lamps (the shades were even bigger... I'm guessing over 2.5 feet) with opalescent bases that were huge!  If these lamps would have been half the size, they would have been mine - $4 for the pair - but since I would have to have a 3500 sq ft house to have enough space for them, I left them for some one else.

Over and over again I have found treasure after treasure and have had to exercise great restraint in not going overboard.  Eric would state that he doesn't believe I have exercised any..... but he is wrong!  One day I went to a sale with Mia and my niece and came home with a cool little chair for $5.  It will be reupholstered in some fun fabric.  In the meantime, my niece decided that it would be a cool ride home to be buckled up in that chair instead of the car seat (they were folded down).

 And then there are the other things I love to do - stuff that is really trendy right now (including the above thrifting and refinishing type stuff I like) - but stuff that is just regular life for people here - well, many people.  Gardening, harvesting and preserving food for the winter.  Making jams, jellies, pickles, sauces, preserving fruit, etc.  Like my sister-in-law making spaghetti sauce and salsa with the vegetables from her garden.

I am so stinking excited to have a garden next summer.   Hopefully my black thumb will miraculously figure out that I have to have inherited a green thumb and it will be ousted....  I did get into the excitement, however, and with some lovely strawberries, made jam (preserved in jars purchased at a garage sale, of course).

 A thing of beauty.

 I even took time to make beautiful labels for my jam.  Hahahahahahaha.

 And then there is fall.  Oh, how I have missed fall.  Oh, how I love fall.

Today we had our first taste - a mere sip.  We went to some local farms that were open for "Farm Days".  Many farms - from alpaca to organic growers to dairies to horse ranches - the whole gamut - throughout Manitoba, were open to the public to come and visit.  There were many I really wanted to go to, some of the types listed above, but they were a bit to much of a drive for what we were able to do today.  So we hit a Christmas tree farm and a horse ranch - the ranch were my sister and her kids have their horse and take lessons.  The whole day reawakened in me the past dormant desire to have a hobby farm and do agro-tourism.  Now I am in full desire again.....

While the one place is a Christmas tree farm, they were in fall mode with lots of pumpkins and gourds to go around.

 Originally they were supposed to have horse drawn rides, but were having issues, so the tractor filled in.  No worries, the tractor was fine.

 The host stopped here and there to show us / inform us about various farm highlights.  We also stopped at a small pumpkin patch where the kids could pick their own to take home.

 After a little more perusing and the purchase of some beautiful gourds and such, we headed out to Cloud 9 Ranch, home of Monaco Loewen - my sister's horse.

 Her three girls, my lovely nieces, participated in demonstrations - things they learn in riding lessons.   While I haven't blogged about it yet, I have a zillion pictures of them competing two weekends ago in a weekend of riding shows that we went to.  It was so fun and the kids all want riding lessons now.  I told them we would probably have to wait until mom and dad have a little more income than none.....

 Riley was trying to get Monaco to play a little soccer, but she was not cooperating very well.

 Timaya and Riley demonstrated vaulting for the audience.  I was a pretty proud auntie, I must say.

Shandy was also doing some demos but we couldn't stay for it all, unfortunately.  Good thing we saw her doing a lot of stuff the other weekend or we would have been very unhappy about having to leave.

 After a lovely day at the farms, we came home (my mom's) to more wonderful Manitoba-ness....  fresh corn for dinner.  The kids and Eric did the shucking, although they were none too happy about it (the kids, that is).  They've got to get used to a lot more manual labour again.... they've been living large much too long.

Wonderful, fresh produce has been seen every where.  My dad and Rose dropped off a bunch of treasures from their garden, the thrift store was selling the most delicious and beautiful cherry tomatoes I have ever had, friends are handing out bags and bags full of vegetables.  It has been a bountiful year.  Here's hoping the the Ackermann garden of 2014 will be much the same!

first day

School has started.  Ah, what bliss...  Summer is always fun but this year, more than ever, I was glad to have some forced normalcy/scheduling in our lives.  Everything is chaos right now, so a regular school schedule is a welcomed friend.  And as much as the kids say they don't want to go to school, I know it is good for them to have this as well.

There was a little anticipation.... Mia and Brooklyn noted it was "Back to School" on the driveway.

The kids also prepared by going to "Meet the Teacher" night - the evening before school started.  We visited Lucy's classroom and teacher and then headed to Cade's class.

We went to the middle school as well and met Mia's new teacher.  He seems great too.  His name is Mr. Carter and I kept thinking about Mr. Kotter - as in the great old show "Welcome Back Kotter".  I wanted to sing the theme song to him (his a little to young to remember the show), but for Mia's sake I just mentioned it.  That was still plenty enough to embarrass her, I'm sure.

There were a lot of raw nerves yesterday - Day One of Yet Another New School.  I was on edge for all of my offspring as well.  Not fun to once again start over.  There were some looks of "Mom, I think I'm going to throw up", but thankfully no one did.

Those two hands up of Maddy's are representing Sophomore year, 10th Grade or Grade 10, depending on what country you are in.  Currently in the fine country of Canada, it is grade 10.  

The photo below shows the nervous reaction of knuckle cracking....  Gonna get fat knuckles, Maddy!!

As you can see, her new school is under some major construction.  It is the same high school that I went to and the main part of the school is pretty much the same, but they are making some serious changes to a lot of it.  Maddy's the little person on the furthest right.  Her first day was only for 10th graders, I mean Grade ten-ers..... um...... for students going into grade 10.  An orientation, mock schedule, lunch and all that good stuff.

The cutest little third grader....  She refused to unbutton her top shirt button.  I'm all for conservative dress, but seriously?  Maddy wasn't happy with me that I didn't make her tuck in her shirt as well.  Pick your battles, Maddy, pick your battles.  Besides, tucking your shirt in just started coming back this year.  She can be a little behind - it won't hurt.

Surprisingly (insert obscene amounts of sarcasm), Cade was not happy about being forced to have his picture taken.  Shocking, I know.  But my new grade 4 son cooperated in the end.

Mia was pretty nervous the day before for the "Meet the Teacher" night, but she seemed a lot more calm the actual day of school.  I mean yes, still plenty of nerves, but pretty calm for my precious worrisome MIDDLE SCHOOLER!!!  Seventh Grade - aaahhhhhhh!

While as of Labour day (notice I am reforming once again to the Canadian spelling of things - spell check is not happy about that), Lucy, Cade, Eric and I moved into my mom's - Maddy and Mia are still sleeping, etc. at my wonderful, sacrificial brother and sister-in-law's - we still met up at their house for the walk to school.

One person was pretty happy about the first day of school - Alex.  That is because Alex's first day of school was one day later than everyone else.  Don't worry ('cause I know you are).  It'll come back to bite her on the day that she'll have school and the others won't.

And off they go.   Eric took the elementary kids.

Glenda and I followed a little as we headed out to take the others to Middle School.  I played the part of the over protective, annoying mom who kept saying goodbye and snapping pictures.  Brooklyn thought I was funny but Mia...... well, I'm sure she was laughing inside.

After we dropped off the girls, I quickly popped in to see Lucy.
*Side note:  I knew Cade was fine.  He is in class with his cousin Cole and has one of the best teachers ever.  We were friends in high school and she is one of those people whom everyone loves and you wonder sometimes "Are you for real?" because she is so amazing and fabulous. And she really is that wonderful. He is going to have a fabulous year...... it would be almost impossible to have her and not have an amazing year.  I am so thankful.  I was so super excited that he got her and I am excited to reconnect with her as well.
 Lucy was busy taking off her "outside shoes" and changing into her "inside schools".  Yes, they have to keep a pair of shoes at school that they change into every morning and out of every afternoon.  I think it all started because of the snow boot situation and they just start with it before snow even hits the ground.

Tuesday at the Meet the Teacher, Lucy had to write her name on a post it and choose a desk to sit at.  At my suggestion (kicking myself now.....), she put her name on a desk in the front row beside another girl whom had already left.  Well, we met this girl this first morning.  Wow.  Wow.  We are a little bit - okay, a lot - concerned about these two girls sitting together.  Trouble with a capitol "T".  This child was talking a mile a minute with no inhibitions and absolutely no filter whatsoever.  It was nice in terms of comfort/friend making for Lucy but sheesh.....  Lucy told her her name and she, with piles of bubbly,  frenetic energy tells us that is her mom's name and then in the same breath turns to me and asks if I am the paparazzi because I have a camera over my neck even though I hadn't taken any pictures since she showed up and then she started emptying her markers and pencil crayons into her storage containers and was talking about how excited she was to finally have "thinsies" markers because she had wanted them for so long and she was really hot and needed to take off her sweater and was really glad that she was wearing her new tank top.

Whew.

I was thinking after about what a calm child Lucy is.....  If that gives you any picture of the situation!

Everyone - as in Maddy, Mia, Cade and Lucy - had a great day.  Everyone.  Everyone had a smile on their face and I was sooooooooo grateful.  Thank you Lord!!!  They were all positive, happy and excited.  That was a big joy as there have been so many things that have not been going smoothly here. To know that they are happy in their classes, making friends, enjoying the environment - that is HUGE!

In celebration, we asked all the cousins (and appropriate uncles, aunts and grandma) to have a possibly new traditional first-day-of-school-celebration-dinner (oops, we are in Canada now.... make that "supper") at Bumpers.

B and G were very uncooperative with the photo taking.  Glenda is not at all thrilled to now be on this end of my blog.

Kim isn't that thrilled either but she sort of - sort of - cooperated.

Kim is watching this pathetically ugly-cute dog for a while, until they find someone to adopt it.  It has a face only my mother could love.  "Mickie" just sits there with its tongue half hanging out in a pathetically adorable way.  Mom was quite happy to hold him, so now I want my mom to get a dog.  Not this one though - it has some serious issues.

Mia was utterly exhausted and a cup full of fat and sugar - ice cream - hardly helped her.  That girl needed some serious sleep.

It almost looks like she was in the Great Salt Lake, where the water "burns your eyes"!  That is a family joke that I just don't feel like going into here but need to put in for the entertainment of my family..... Sorry.

Anywho.  While there is some general feelings of "we're sick of being so close with family" because we have been crammed into tight quarters with each other, it was still a great, fun meal and a great way to celebrate a new year and a new beginning.