Life at the B&B

New Blog

2008-07-19T12:41:00.001-07:00

Sorry to switch on everyone, but since I am no longer going crazy at the B&B I thought it was time for a change!

You can find me here: thepachamama.blogspot.com

Memories of Grandpa

2008-06-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

Ice cream bars at Brookside
Gardening
Yummy soups
Sunday Dinners
Watching golf on tv
Hard worker
Visits to Sun City, AZ
Chicken

I'm glad that my grandpa and grandma can be together again. Grandpa's been pretty tired for a long time, he would always tell me how none of his siblings lived past their sixties and he didn't know why he was still hanging around (his 91st birthday would have been in August)! Delia didn't like to go visit him because she said he was grumpy, I couldn't really argue with that - he was grumpy! But he really appreciated the visits, he would tell me that he loved me and to come back again soon - grumpy and sweet at the same time.
I'm going to head out to Nova Scotia today and I'll be back on Tuesday. Jason's company is letting him work from home for the next few days - hopefully he'll be able to get some work done.

EDWARDS, Ernest BertramEDWARDS, Ernest Bertram - 1917-2008. Colonel Ernie Edwards passed away on Wednesday, June 25, 2008. He will be missed by his family and loved ones. Born in Glen Falls, Saint John, N.B., he was the youngest son of Frederick Edwards and Clara Shackell. He was predeceased by all eleven of his siblings, his son, Paul; two grandchildren and a great-grandchild. His beloved wife of 61 years, Bridget Roseleen "Delia", passed away in 2002. He is survived by his children, Murray (Diane), New Minas; Rozanne (Roger) Hall, Medford, Ore.; Judith (Gordon) Macmichael, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.; Sylvia (Michael Wells), Phoenix, Ariz.; David (Jeannie), Gary (Jennifer), Toronto; 27 grandchildren, 51 great-grandchildren, and his dear friend, Lillian Rodgers. Ernie Edwards spent his early life traveling throughout Canada with his widowed mother as she sought work as a cook in logging camps. Leaving school in grade six, Ernie worked variously as a butcher and soda jerk before hitting the rails during the Depression in an attempt to escape the dismal poverty that had enveloped the land. In Kansas City, he collapsed from hunger and was taken in off of the street by a restaurateur who provided food and lodging in exchange for dish washing duties. This is when Ernie had the revelation that would shape his life: if you were in the restaurant business, you and your family would never go hungry. The Second World War drew Ernie away from the dust bowl of the Depression and deposited him overseas with the Canadian Army Corps of Engineers where he rose to the rank of Sergeant, met his wife, Delia, and started his family. After six years of service to his country, he returned to the town of his birth and took work at a lunch counter. In 1948, Ernie brought his growing family to Nova Scotia in order to take advantage of an offer to manage the lunch counter at the Vogue Theatre on Gottingen Street in Halifax. A few years later, his employers helped him to acquire a small operation on Barrington Street, and Edwards Fine Food was born. The trust and generosity shown to him by his backers touched him deeply and influenced his dealings with others throughout his lifetime. Having developed a reputation for a great hamburger, Ernie soon had eight lunch counters around town, along with his flagship, the Town and Country, a family restaurant, on Quinpool Road. Around this time, he took an interest in the Canadian Restaurant Association (as it was then known) and in 1961 acted as the Association's President. Through the CRA, he met Colonel Harland Sanders and agreed to introduce Kentucky Fried Chicken to the the East Coast of Canada. In the early sixties, the Town and Country restaurant sold more KFC than any other outlet in the world. Before long, Edwards Fine Food was operating KFC outlets throughout the province. In recognition of this success, Colonel Sanders had Ernie inducted into the Honorary Order of Kentucky Colonels and from that time on, Ernie Edwards became known to all as Colonel Ernie. At its peak, Edwards Fine Food and its subsidiaries employed over six hundred Nova Scotians, many of whom refer to Ernie and his wife, Delia, as "Mom" and "Dad" to this day. Throughout his career, Colonel Ernie, together with his wife and family, sought to repay the province and the people that had brought them such success and prosperity. The poverty he suffered in his youth and his later associations with Colonel Harland Sanders, himself a world-renowned philanthropist, led Colonel Ernie on a path of unbridled generosity that continues to this day and will live on in perpetuity through his Edwards Family Charitable Foundation. His key area of interest in this regard has always been the health, education and well-being of children. In addition to his role as Chair of his family Foundation, which acts exclusively in Nova Scotia, Colonel Ernie was an Honorary Life Director of the Colonel Harland Sanders Charitable Organization, which has been making substantial gifts in the areas of children's health care and support for families in need, throughout North America. Colonel Ernie was the only surviving charter member of the Halifax Northwest Chapter of Rotary International, where he was a Paul Harris Fellow. He lived to see his Rotary chapter celbrate its 50th anniversary this past spring. With his wife Delia, he is an inductee of the Nova Scotia Business Hall of Fame. Recognized nationally by his peers in the hospitality industry, he is the recipient of the Jack C. Simms Award for Promoting Excellence in Education and, again with Delia, was bestowed with the Canadian Hospitality Foundation's Man (and wife) of the Year Award. The Colonel and his Lady's efforts were also recognized with the Nova Scotia Philanthropist's Society Community Giving Award. For many years, he was a member of the Armdale Yacht Club, where he kept his boat, The Lady Colonel. He was at one time an avid curler at the Halifax Curling Club and he remained an active member of the Ashburn Golf Club to the end of his life. Visitation will be today from 7-9 p.m. and Saturday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. in J.A. Snow Funeral Home, 2666 Windsor St., Halifax. The funeral service will be held Monday at 10 a.m. in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 205 Lacewood Dr., in Halifax. A reception will follow at the Ashburn Golf Club. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Edwards Family Charitable Foundation or the charity of your choice. E-mail condolences to: condolences.snow@ns.aliantzinc.ca

Little bits of what we've been up to

2008-06-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

We had a great time visiting with my mom and sister last week. The weather was cold and rainy every day, but the day they left. My mom kept saying she couldn't figure out why real estate is so expensive here - she couldn't understand why any one would want to live here! We've been liking it so far, and not minding the weather - I have found it pretty similar to Nova Scotia. While we had visitors we were able to go the children's museum in Everett which the kids loved, we went to a store at the Everett Mall where you dig for fossils (I thought it was kind of lame, but the kids had a good time) and we went to the zoo on the day mom and Jessica left. We kept busy and I tried out lots of new recipes - fun times! I think my favorite recipe was the frozen peanut butter hot chocolate recipe from Serendipity in NY (I found it in January's Bon Apetit magazine, but you can find it - here). We also played lots of Blokus and scrabble! Mom and Jessica are getting ready to move back to Nova Scotia and we are so glad that they got to come for a visit before they left Phoenix!

Today the kids and I headed to a shopping area in North Seattle called University Village. I was meeting a friend from my veg prep days (that was my on-campus job during most of my college years). It was great to see her and her little girl. We had a great time catching up and I was proud of myself for getting there and back on the commuter buses!

And we are excited because tomorrow, Jason's brother, Ryan is coming to visit us for the evening. He's in town for work and we are excited to catch up with him. Joshua and Delia just wish he could bring some friends (that's what they call their cousins) too.

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T19:05:00.001-07:00

I love this picture of Joshua and Jason (it's from Easter of 2004).

Joshua and Delia both think their father is the greatest dad in the world and he really is.

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers!

Throw out your TV!

2008-06-04T07:14:00.000-07:00

I was reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Joshua last night for his bedtime story. I loved this Oompa Loompa song that comes after Mike Teavee has shrunk himself. I'm thinking Roald Dahl had pretty strong opinions on television:

The most important thing we've learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set --
Or better still, just don't install
The idiotic thing at all.
In almost every house we've been,
We've watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
(Last week in someone's place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they're hypnotised by it,
Until they're absolutely drunk
With all that shocking ghastly junk.
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don't climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink --
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK -- HE ONLY SEES!
'All right!' you'll cry. 'All right!' you'll say,
'But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!'
We'll answer this by asking you,
'What used the darling ones to do?
'How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?'
Have you forgotten? Don't you know?
We'll say it very loud and slow:
THEY ... USED ... TO ... READ! They'd READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!
One half their lives was reading books!
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!
And in the bedroom, by the bed,
More books were waiting to be read!
Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales
Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales
And treasure isles, and distant shores
Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,
And pirates wearing purple pants,
And sailing ships and elephants,
And cannibals crouching 'round the pot,
Stirring away at something hot.
(It smells so good, what can it be?
Good gracious, it's Penelope.)
The younger ones had Beatrix Potter
With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter,
And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,
And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and-
Just How The Camel Got His Hump,
And How the Monkey Lost His Rump,
And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,
There's Mr. Rate and Mr. Mole-
Oh, books, what books they used to know,
Those children living long ago!
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
And children hitting you with sticks-
Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week or two
Of having nothing else to do,
They'll now begin to feel the need
Of having something to read.
And once they start -- oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowly growing joy
That fills their hearts. They'll grow so keen
They'll wonder what they'd ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean,
Repulsive television screen!
And later, each and every kid
Will love you more for what you did.

Happy Birthday to Jason and other recent events

2008-06-03T07:12:00.000-07:00

We have been enjoying Everett. Last week the kids and I spent quite a bit of time looking for a midwife. We interviewed three different women and got to learn our way around the city a bit too. We tried to go to a church playgroup on Thursday, but got lost (I blame it on google maps!). Jason and I also took the kids to the Ballard Locks in Seattle on Memorial Day.We had a lot of fun watching the boats go through the locks. It was an adventure getting there (3 buses and about an hour and a half each way), but we had a good time!
My lovely sister sent us a couple of packages last week. She sent this book, which I adore and this knitting book which I am also enjoying. I decided with my newly found time I wanted to learn to knit! I have made three wash cloths so far and my next project is a blanket for the new baby.
Yesterday was Jason's birthday. Sorry - no pictures yet, I need to get a new card reader. We had a lovely dinner and Jason enjoyed all of his phone calls and emails. For dinner we had a lemon roasted chicken, crash hot potatoes (click on it - you need to try this recipe!), homemade rolls, and a chocolate cake. We didn't eat much of the cake, Jason had got a cake at work that he brought home too - so we have lots of cake!
We're looking forward to a visit from my mom and little sister next week. Joshua's hoping we can make it to the zoo while they are here. He's also wondering when other people are coming to visit us. Yesterday he asked when Aunt Sarah was coming for a visit. Whenever we drive by a McDonald's he tells me that his Grandpa will take him there when he comes for a visit. And he keeps talking about Brady and Uncle Mike coming to visit him this Summer. We're hoping to make it down to Medford, Oregon over 4th of July weekend to visit family as well. So hopefully with all of our visiting we won't feel so far from family!

We're Here and Together Again

2008-05-22T09:46:00.000-07:00

Here's our quick update:
The kids and I flew from Manchester, NH to Seattle, WA (layover in Chicago, IL) on Monday. On Sunday my dad and step-mom drove us from Halifax to New Hampshire. Everything went so well on both days. The kids were great in the car and on the flights. We are happy to be here and to be together again!
We have been exploring the past couple of days - finding the local Target and Trader Joe's (I love Trader Joe's - friendly staff-nice to my kids, great products), we also headed to Renton yesterday and found the IKEA. We're doing lots of unpacking and trying to make our apartment feel like home. We're still adjusting to the four-hour time change, waking up at 4:00 and 5:00 am!
And the best news of all - Jason is liking his job!

Headed to Everett

2008-05-08T07:46:00.000-07:00

Well, I'll have to change the title of my blog when I have some time to spare. We are no longer managing the B&B! I am feeling a lot less stress in my life and not feeling quite so crazy! Jason decided to take the job in Everett and when he made the decision he was ready to go and begin our new adventure. He left in a U-Haul truck on Sunday morning and drove to Albany, NY where he got to stay with some friends that we had made when we lived in Provo. The next day he drove to Chicago and stayed at the house of his former Bishop, who happened to be out of town, but let Jason break-in to his house and rest for the night. Jason called his dad on his way to Chicago to let him know where he was headed and Dad, Mom, and Grandma were just finishing up their Church History Tour in Nauvoo and decided to meet him in Chicago. They all met up and Dad decided to drive the rest of the way with Jason and Mom and Grandma headed back to Denver together. Jason and his Dad spent Tuesday night in Fargo, North Dakota and Wednesday night in Bozeman, Montanna. They hope to make it to Everett today, find an apartment tomorrow, move our stuff in on Saturday, and then Jason will start work on Monday! I'm staying with my Dad for the next week or so while Jason gets a little settled and then I'll fly out with the kids. It feels good to have the big decision made and be moving forward!

Can you Believe it? We are Still Deciding!

2008-04-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

My mom was calling me last night for an update. We are busily packing boxes, but we have yet to determine where those boxes will be unpacked. Jason told the company in San Jose no yesterday. But now we have a new prospect in Orange County, CA. So it looks like it's still between WA and CA. Hopefully we get things figured out soon!

My Grandmother is also very sick, we expect her to die any day - so I've been trying to spend lots of time with her. And we're extremely busy at the B&B this week - because of the World Hockey Championship that's being held in town. Better to have too much going on than too little, right?

Still Deciding

2008-04-18T10:23:00.001-07:00

Jill - you can definitely call us if you'd like to chat, but it looks like it will be a few more days before we make a decision! Jason asked the company in California for a few more days to think about it and that's what we've got now.

We're Home Again - But Not for Long!

2008-04-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in Denver. The kids did so well on the flights. The wedding was beautiful, we were so glad that we could be there. Jason had two interviews, one in Washington and one in San Jose. He has offers from both companies and we are deciding by tomorrow where to go. Wish us luck!

Family picture by Aunt Rebecca

Joshua looking great - picture by Aunt Rebecca

Carla and her Hunt Family nieces

Mr. and Mrs. Green

Glorious Sun!

2008-04-02T11:37:00.000-07:00

It's actually sunny here today! This past weekend I may have been complaining to one of our guests about the fact that it was snowing yet again, and he told me about how they still have so much snow in New Brunswick that you can't see the numbers on people's houses - all you see are roof tops! He said their snow might be gone in June! So here's to not complaining! But I am definitely celebrating the sunshine today!

Delia squinting.
A haircut is on the list of things to do for Delia before Carla's wedding next week!

Joshua playing outside in short sleeves. I still found it cold, though!

Jason fixing our ghetto mini van (276,000 km and counting). In recent history Jason has replaced a windshield wiper motor - a definite necessity in Nova Scotia, the ball joints, and now a heater hose - that one was kind of scary when it went bad, smoke everywhere! The things you get to learn when you have more free time than money!

This was a science experiment that Jason and Joshua did yesterday. Jason called it a homemade lava lamp. Joshua liked it, but not as much as the baking soda volcanoes they did the day before! Here's a link that shows instructions and why it works if you want to try it at home - make your own lava lamp

And I made squash soup twice this week, the recipe was that good! Here's the link(Curried Squash Soup), I think you should make it too!

Have a lovely Spring Day!

4+1=5

2008-03-30T17:02:00.001-07:00

Mr. Innkeeper is currently chasing 4 realistic job prospects: 2 in Seattle, 1 in San Jose (CA, not Costa Rica), and 1 in Huntington Beach. He's also hoping to hear back from companies in Salt Lake and in Denver. The one in Boston fell through a few weeks ago; Austin hasn't called back; and he decided to let the one in Illinois go. So, despite vowing never to live in California, 50% of his job prospects, including his #1, are in the Golden State. In sum, we have no idea where we're going to wind up in the next few months, and the only one more confused and exasperated by the uncertainty than myself might be Jason. At least the kids are excited about the coming changes.

While we don't have a clue where we'll be, we are certain about one thing -- one more will be making the move with us. Number 3 is due some time in early October, and we can't be more excited. To quell your nagging suspicions, yes we were planning to have a third, and no, we hadn't thought that it would happen amidst all this turmoil. We had wanted to wait until Mr. Innkeeper had secured a job and we had moved and settled in a bit, but sometimes the Lord has other plans. Anyway, we are ecstatic for baby #3, and the kids can't wait. Delia has already taken to singing into my belly button and rubbing my growing tummy. Joshua is equally excited.

So there you have it. We can't wait!

Yummy Cookies!

2008-03-17T05:24:00.000-07:00

I made these mint chocolate cookies yesterday, they were so good. If you eat them without the glaze they reminded me of double chocolate cookies from Ben's Cookies. And if you like mint the glaze is perfect!

I also made Pea and Pesto soup yesterday, from Nigella's Express cookbook that took five minutes to make if you are looking for St. Paddy ideas - it was delicious! I love Nigella!

Here We Go Again!

2008-03-14T06:14:00.001-07:00

Saying goodbye to the piano today was a little bit hard. I loved this piano - it's an upright grand and it was just beautiful to look at. I thought that is sounded good for being over 100 years old and it still had all of it's ivory keys intact. My mom (who is moving back with her family to run the B&B) didn't like it as much as I did, so we had to find it a new home.Delia waving goodbye.

Joshua keeping an eye on everything.

This is the second time this group of movers got to move this particular piano in the past 18 months. They say it's the heaviest piano they've moved. I'm sure they weren't thrilled about moving it again, especially with our wonderful Spring weather!

Joshua is 5!

2008-03-14T06:00:00.001-07:00

Joshua wanted to go the wave pool for his birthday. We had the pool reserved 2 and 1/2 months in advance and we're looking forward to our family party at the pool last Saturday. The pool called us last Friday night and said that their pool was broken and we would have to go to another pool which they had arranged. The pool wasn't quite as cool as the wave pool and Grandpa wasn't able to make it because we had to change the time. But we are supposed to get all our money back, so you can't really go wrong with a free party! Joshua and his cousins all had a great time and then we ended up at Grandpa and Grandma's later that night for dinner. Joshua finished out his big day by getting sick all over the kitchen floor - he was sick for three days and then Delia got sick. We are finally recovering! Joshua blowing out his five candles - I can't believe he's 5!

Joshua and his party guests!

Volunteering

2008-03-06T14:04:00.000-08:00

I have been volunteering at a soup kitchen every Thursday since August - today was my last day. I figured that while my husband was not working a regular job I would take advantage of him to watch the kids for a few hours while I went out and did something that I hoped would make me a better person! The first day I was there I remember how humbling it was to be helping feed these people who could not feed themselves. Most weeks it was hard to be there just because of the kinds of things that I saw, but I was always glad to go and will miss being there.

For lots of reasons I just decided that I can't do it anymore (at least right now). I was wondering what other moms with young kids do to help others. I want some volunteer experiences that I can do mostly from home and hopefully involve my kids somehow. Any ideas?

Grandparents

2008-03-01T12:05:00.000-08:00

My kids are lucky for lots of reasons. Growing up I had a family situation that I wasn't really happy with, I think most everyone wants a happily married mom and dad but that's not a reality for a good portion of people and it wasn't a reality for me. Now it seems that my kids are able to benefit from a plethora of grandparents and we adore them all!

Bubblegum Grandma and Bubblegum Grandpa sure know the way to a kid's heart - the kids enjoy their surprise packages of bubblegum! Grandma and Grandpa Hunt always remember birthdays and they love to play with all the grandkids. While we were in Denver this last time they watched our kids and Ryan and Honey's as the rest of us visited at the table. I hope they enjoyed playing with the kids as much as we enjoyed the adult conversation! When I asked Joshua and Delia what they like about Grandma and Grandpa Hunt they both shouted out in unison "bubblegum!"

Grandpa Bill and Grandma Ellen enjoy being the local favorites. I would embarrass myself if I went through all the things my Dad and Ellen did for us, like just this week Dad picked us up from the airport, while arranging for my brother to sit at the B&B and wait for a guest. They took my husband and the kids out for Chinese the night we got home (I napped!) and ordered enough food that I didn't have to cook for three days, well that's including the soup and spaghetti they left in the fridge for us when we got home. Grandpa dropped us off some croissants from a favorite local bakery yesterday. And last night Delia wanted to call her Grandma, the conversation went something like this: "hi Grandma! I want to come to your house." After she hung up the phone she said "I'm going to sleep in Grandma's bed!" So Grandpa and Grandma came to get her and she had a sleepover and then spent the day with them because when I called in the morning to ask her if she wanted to come home she said no! I'm trying to not be hurt by that! When I asked the kids what they liked about Grandpa Bill and Grandma Ellen, Joshua said "I like watching Treehouse (a local kid's station) and I like eating dinner with the missionaries sometimes!" Delia said that she likes Grandma's singing and lipstick!

Grandma Sylvia and Grandpa Mike live far away right now and by the time they move back to Nova Scotia this Summer we will have probably moved ourselves (definitely out of the B&B and most likely out of the country looking at Jason's job possibilities). We enjoy Grandma Sylvia's love of travel and have got to see her quite a few times over the last year, unfortunately we missed her this last time as she got stuck in Newark for a little longer than we got stuck in Nova Scotia! Our kids love reading stories with Grandma Sylvia and love their annual trips to the bookstore. The kids like playing with Grandpa Mike - Joshua remembers playing tag with him and they had fun on their boat ride this past Summer! Joshua said that he loved to play on their tennis courts (in Chester) with his cousin Brady. Delia said that she loved her new kitty sweater!

Nana Rozanna and Grandpa Roger are our adopted grandparents. I had the privilege of living with their family for three out of my four high school years and now my kids have the privilege of a little extra of their grandparent love! We enjoyed living with them for six weeks the Summer I was pregnant with Delia and Mr. Innkeeper was taking a bicycle frame building course in Ashland. Joshua still has fond memories of picking the few ripe strawberries off of the plant on their front porch. He also told me he loves the glow in the dark spiderman shirt Nana Rozanna sent him in the mail! We enjoyed getting to spend time with the two of them and their family this past Summer when they stayed at the B&B during great-grandpa's 90th birthday reunion! Credit goes to Jill for the pictures of Rozanne and Roger!

We love you all! Thanks for all you do for us and our kids!

Favorite Pictures from the Big Day!

2008-02-29T18:04:00.000-08:00

We were so glad that we were able to share in Aaron and Angela's wedding day. Everything was perfect - we had such a wonderful time.Most of the Grandkids!

Clay, Joshua, and Andrew

The Happy Couple

Uncle Aaron and nieces

Aunt Angela and nieces

We're Here

2008-02-15T08:03:00.000-08:00

We're so glad to be here and are looking forward to this afternoon's events! It was quite the travel day yesterday - glad it's over!

Still in Halifax

2008-02-13T05:33:00.001-08:00

We should be on our way to the airport right now preparing for our flight to New York and then to Denver, where we plan on driving to Salt Lake so we can attend the wedding of these beautiful people:
But this is February and we're in Nova Scotia and our flight is canceled. We're staying positive - we're booked on another flight leaving tomorrow morning at 5:55 am from Halifax to Toronto and we should get into Denver at 10:30 am. I didn't know it was possible to get to Denver that early in the morning (from Halifax)! Then we just have to drive to Salt Lake. The wedding is in the afternoon on Friday and Jason has an interview at Black Diamond in the morning. Everyone say a little prayer for us - we have to get there!

Where I've Been

2008-02-05T05:23:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't felt much like blogging lately. I've been more interested in reading books and posting them on goodreads. I think this website, that my friend Kelly introduced me to, is awesome. You can post books you've read and what you thought of them and then you can see what your friends are reading. Sometimes when I would finish reading a book I would think "what should I read now?" Well I feel with this website I have a constant supply of books to read next! I've read some great books - To Kill a Mockingbird is amazing. You should read it if you haven't. And I also really enjoyed Laddie by Gene Stratton-Porter. You'll have to sign on to goodreads for other recommendations!

We also had a wedding at the B&B - that was fun and crazy! The couple decided to elope after her mom started taking over the plans of the wedding in Germany. They partied hard after the wedding - they asked for pickled herring for breakfast the next day (I guess it's a German remedy for a hangover). We were glad to help out and felt privileged to be a part of their special day.

And we are also getting ready to go to a wedding! The kids got haircuts yesterday and Joshua and I got some new shoes. We are so excited for Aaron and Angela and to see everyone!

Snow Ice Cream

2008-01-20T10:57:00.000-08:00

We woke up this morning to freshly fallen snow and it continued to fall while we were at church. After lunch we decided to make snow ice cream. We mixed in a bowl 1/2 cup of half and half, 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla, then we mixed in 4 cups of clean snow. It was about the consistency of soft serve and the kids topped theirs with chocolate chips. Joshua said it was the best ice cream he's ever had! The other picture was what happened when Mr. Innkeeper left Delia in her high chair and the nutella jar in her reach!

Cakes

2008-01-15T11:13:00.000-08:00

I've been busy making cakes this week.

Happy Birthday to Grandma Ellen who turned 55 yesterday. We had everyone over to the B&B for Chinese Food (provided by Grandpa Bill) and we supplied the cake. Grandpa said carrot cake was Grandma's favorite, so that's what we made. The cake was really good, if you like carrot cake. I'm more partial to chocolate myself!

Here's the recipe of you want to try it, Carrot Cake Supreme from the Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook (one of our favorite cookbooks):
Cake:
2 Cups all-purpose flour
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 t. ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
2 C. sugar
3/4 C. vegetable oil
3/4 C. buttermilk
2 t. vanilla extract
2 C. grated carrots
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 C. flaked coconut
1 small package of chopped pecans
Buttermilk Glaze (see recipe at bottom)
Deluxe Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe at bottom)

Grease three 9 inch round cakepans (I only used two).

Cut circles of wax paper or parchment paper to line on bottom of cake pans.

Grease and flour wax paper. Set aside.

Stir together first four ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and next 4 ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture to batter, beating at low speed until blended.

Stir in carrots, pineapple, and coconut. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Drizzle warm Buttermilk Glaze (see below) over cake layers and allow to cool on wire racks for 15 minutes.

Place first layer on your cake plate. Spread a layer of Deluxe Cream Cheese Frosting (see below) on top of bottom layer. Place second layer on top of bottom layer (repeat previous steps if making a triple layer cake). Frost sides and top of cake.

Buttermilk Glaze:

1 C. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 C. buttermilk
1/2 C. (one stick) unsalted butter
1 T. light corn syrup
1 t. vanilla extract

Bring first five ingredients to a boil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Boil four minutes stirring constantly until glaze is golden. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool slightly.

Deluxe Cream Cheese Frosting

1 1/2 (12 ounces) blocks of cream cheese, softened
3/4 C. butter (a stick and a half), softened
1 (16 ounce) package of powdered sugar
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla.

And this is the cake I made today. Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake (I doubled the recipe and made it two layers). You know it has to be good when it contains nearly two pounds of butter! We love this cake, but make sure you have a group of people to share it with. It's definitely addictive! We made it once when I had my brother over for lunch and we ate half of the cake for dessert. And between Mr. Innkeeper and I we had polished off the other half by lunch the next day! Enjoy!

Denver Pictures - take 2

2008-01-10T05:44:00.000-08:00

Here are the cousins at the Denver Zoo. It was a cold day, but we had a great time. Afterwards, Ryan took us all out to lunch at Red Robin, the kids were great and so was our server. 10 kids and 7 adults and she didn't mess up one thing!

Here are pictures from our day at the Children's Museum. If you have kids and are ever in Denver you must go to the Children's Museum - it was amazing. And if you have at least 10 kids coming with you, call ahead for a group reservation.

This is a picture of Andrew, Joshua, and Delia in front of the full size fire truck they have in the Museum that the kids can play on.

The Museum let us use their party room for our lunch which worked out great.

Mia and Rylee dressing up in the Museum.

Delia ringing our groceries through.

Lucy, Delia, and Mia getting ready for story time at the Museum.

Christmas in Denver

2008-01-08T12:59:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share some of our fun memories of our time in Denver:Andrew and Joshua on Christmas Day

Delia loving her Aunt Katherine

My failed attempt at making 30 minute mozzarella cheese

Joshua and me, with our gingerbread house

Delia loved to play the piano with her Aunt Carla

Delia getting ready for our FHE nativity play

Mia, Joshua, and Andrew gave a wonderful performance!

More pictures to come, I still need to download the memory card from my other camera.

Happy Birthday Delia

2007-12-18T06:18:00.000-08:00

My little girl is 2 today!

We invited family over on Sunday night for dinner and cake because that worked best for everyone's schedule but then mother nature had a different plan and dumped snow, wind, and freezing rain on us which made for less than favorable driving conditions. One of my brothers' kids were sick and the other brother couldn't see his road because there was so much snow! Dad and Ellen braved the storm to enjoy homemade pizzas and Delia's princess cake.

I saw a cake on Taylor's website that I thought would look so great as the skirt for the princess cake that Delia wanted. I was happy with how it turned out and Delia loved it!

Here's a picture of Delia in her tutu today. She wasn't thrilled when she opened the present but now she won't take it off!

How to Make a Tutu

2007-12-11T17:10:00.000-08:00

It's Delia's birthday next week and I wanted to get her a tutu, so I turned to etsy to find myself one to buy. And then I figured I am sure I could make one myself. So I did.

I went to the fabric store and got 4 yards of tulle, 2 yards of light pink and 2 yards of dark pink. I think it costs about $1.50 a yard and you could use way less than I did. I made a super puffy tutu! I bought a couple of yards of ribbon and some rhinestones to glue on.

I cut the tulle into strips, mine were about 2 and 1/2 inches wide and 14 inches long (decide how long you want your tutu to be, double that and that should be your length). Then I took my ribbon and tied it between two chairs to make it easier to tie the tulle onto it. I used a lark's head knot to tie the tulle onto the ribbon. And about 45 minutes later I was done.

I decided to use a ribbon because I wanted it to have a cute bow but I thought when I was finished that I should have used an elastic so that Delia could get it on and off by herself and then just tie a bow onto the elastic.

I found the instructions through flickr. If you google "flickr how to make tutu" you'll find it. I didn't want to link directly to the website because she has some, ahem, "artistic" pictures of herself in her tutu!

If Delia likes it, I'll post pictures of her wearing it next week! Happy tutu making.

Reduce

2007-12-06T18:56:00.000-08:00

Why should you buy less for Christmas?

Watch this video. It's 20 minutes of your life, but it will give you a new perspective about why we consume so much.

The Story of Stuff.

The Piston Cup

2007-12-02T12:08:00.000-08:00

Joshua really likes Cars, the movie. A few weeks ago he had an activity at church where all the kids received a trophy. Well I guess the trophy reminded Joshua of the Piston Cup because this is what he came up with. Sorry the video is sideways, I didn't know how to rotate it.

"Can't Aunt Sarah Stay Just One More Day"

2007-11-21T12:09:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago Sarah posted about a weekend trip we were thinking of taking and wondering where we should go. Well, Sarah decided to come here so that she could show off her cute baby to those of us who hadn't met him yet

and so that we could attend the Craft Fair. We fit in as much as we could over our 3 and 1/2 days. Sarah came Friday afternoon and got her Swiss Chalet fix. Saturday we were up early to make breakfast for our other guests and so we could go to the Farmer's Market, which I think is the coolest thing to do in Halifax. I love it there! I got a few groceries, Sarah got a new handmade belt, and then we were off to Brunch at Epicurious Morsels. Lovely food, service not so great. Then we headed to the Craft Fair, which was one of the best I have ever been to. Wonderful crafts and wonderful people. We headed to Club Monaco so Sarah could get a new shirt and then to Costco to refill Doug's wine gum supply. Hot chocolate and cookies at a favorite coffee shop and then we rushed home to get ready for an adult only dinner (plus the baby, of course) to MacAskill's. We enjoyed the dinner and the company. After dinner, we headed home to put kids to bed and then we went to see Dan in Real Life. We missed the first ten minutes because of bedtime battles, but both enjoyed it!

On Sunday we had a full day of Church - Joshua had his first primary program, he was so excited and looked great. He had his part memorized for the past few weeks (Jesus loved little children and blessed them) and he had his Dad sit up on the stand with him for some extra support, he walked right down to the podium when it was his turn but then wasn't so sure about the whole thing. He told me after that he said his line, he just didn't want anyone to hear him.

After church we went visiting Grandparents,

and then for a yummy family dinner at Grandpa Bill's, also celebrating my famous brother's 35th birthday (35 doesn't seem so old anymore!).

On Monday our Dad took us out to breakfast at Cora's - bad service, so-so food, it was still fun to be out together. And then we had lunch at Cafe Michele with a friend and I was officially stuffed. After not eating out for so long and eating out so many times while my sister was here I have decided I am definitely a food snob. I guess that's what happens when you grow up in the restaurant business. I know what to expect and when I don't get it, I'm disappointed. I haven't found customer service to be that great around here as a general rule. So maybe I should stop expecting it. Or just stay home to eat!

After lunch we headed right out to the airport. Joshua didn't want to see her go, "can't Aunt Sarah stay just one more day?" We loved having Sarah come for a visit. We wish Texas was closer!

Save the Children

2007-11-07T14:49:00.000-08:00

I wrote this plea today to my grandfather's charitable foundation. I don't imagine that they will support my desires because it is really outside of the scope of the foundation. But I thought I could share it here with you and maybe it could have some impact for good. Thanks for reading!

For as long as I can remember I have felt a special place in my heart for the children of Africa. I recall when I was a young girl I watched a presentation on the television calling for donations for children in Africa. These children were dying because they did not have access to everyday needs we take for granted such as clean drinking water, adequate food, and vaccinations. I asked my father if I could sponsor a child for my Christmas gift, and he told me that I could, but because of the expense I would not be able to receive any other gifts that year. Out of childish selfishness, I chose not to sponsor a child that year and it has been one of my great regrets.

I recognize the mission of the foundation is to primarily serve the community of Nova Scotia. I am grateful for the Foundation and the good it is able to do. But I cannot ignore the fact that impoverished children outside of our province are needlessly dying. In the immortal words of Mother Theresa, "It is poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish." We have been blessed with an over-abundance in North America. It is our responsibility to not only serve our community, but go beyond where we can literally save children's lives.

It has been easy for me in the past to ignore problems happening around the world in these far off countries because they are so far removed from us. But after researching and studying the atrocities happening in these countries, I cannot ignore the problems any more. It is common to hear parents say to their children “you better eat all of that food on your plate, don't you know that there are children starving in Africa?” What many parents do not realize, however, is that there are ways to directly and meaningfully change that situation. We can end starvation for individual children in Africa, and they will be grateful for the rest of their healthy lives. It is not enough to think about the horrible things going on in the world, we must act now.

Efforts to end hunger and worldwide poverty would be a great use of the Foundation's money. With comparatively small donations we can effect real change in the lives of individual children, directly relieving their suffering and giving them a chance at life. Martin Luther King, Jr. has said, “The curse of poverty has no justification in our age. It is socially as cruel and blind as the practice of cannibalism at the dawn of civilization.... The time has come for us to civilize ourselves by the total, direct and immediate abolition of poverty."

Contrary to what my father believed those many years ago, it is not that expensive to provide basic life-saving needs to children who will otherwise die. In Africa there are currently 150,000 children dying each month of malaria. For the cost of $5 per child, insecticide-treated mosquito nets can be bought from the Red Cross. Goats, pigs, or chickens can be bought so that communities in need are able to sustain themselves. It is also possible to make one time purchases of seeds and tools at a cost of $40 per family, so that they are able to use these to tools to provide for themselves.

I do understand that third world countries are out of the current scope of the Foundation, but I believe that we can have a bigger impact with our dollars in these countries than may be possible in Nova Scotia.

There is also the Coady Institute, a local organization, that Gary mentioned to me that might be more in harmony with the mission of the Foundation. Established by St. Francis Xavier University in 1959, the Coady International Institute works with innovative people and organizations to create effective and practical solutions to reduce global poverty and injustice. The Coady Institute accomplishes this through leadership education, action partnerships, and initiatives to help young Canadians become active global citizens. I believe the benefits of supporting the Coady Institute would bring long lasting changes to the communities I am desiring to help.

Thank you for your time and your commitment to our family and the willingness to examine the causes that I believe in.

Halloween Recap

2007-11-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

Delia was a bunny rabbit. If we put the hood up she couldn't see, so it stayed down most of the night! When we went trick-or-treating everyone wanted to give Delia more candy because she was so cute. They would tell her to take more from the bowl or pick out whatever she liked. I thought it was pretty funny because she's not even two and she ended up with more candy than her brother!

The Frank Family cousins, minus the Roberts - San Antonio Division, trick-or-treating at Grandpa's to begin the evening!

This was the candy the kids came home with. I couldn't believe it! We went to a neighborhood across the street and everyone was so generous. We went trick-or-treating with our neighbors and they knew all the right houses to go to! If I would've taken the kids on my own I think we would have gone to five houses, but the kids were having such a good time they didn't want to go home!

So today we had to decide what to do with all the candy. I couldn't keep it all because Delia would scream every second of every day for candy! So we offered to trade for the candy. The kids could pick what they wanted from some choices we gave them:

money for candy
go bowling (Joshua's choice)
pizza and movie night (Delia's choice)
go to the bookstore and pick out a new book

They got to pick out their three favorite pieces of candy and we are taking the rest to the soup kitchen.

When I was at the soup kitchen today we had a Mom and daughter drop off a ton of non-perishable items. When they had gone trick-or-treating last night they asked for food instead of candy for the food bank. I thought that was a great idea!

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T08:18:00.000-07:00

Serious pumpkin carving takes concentration.

The kids got pumpkin cookies from our neighbor this morning.

More pictures to come!

Fun at the Zoo!

2007-10-31T08:12:00.000-07:00

We went to the zoo with Grandpa last Friday. The kids loved it!
Grandpa and I had a pretty good time, too!
Thanks, Grandpa!

Learning to live more simply

2007-10-19T07:17:00.000-07:00

"As you simplify your life the laws of the universe will be simpler."
- Thoreau

"Simple living is about living deliberately. Simple living is not about austerity, or frugality, or income level. It's about being fully aware of why you are living your particular life, and knowing that life is one you have chosen thoughtfully. Simple living is about designing our lives to coincide with our ideals." -Janet Luhrs, The Simple Living Guide

I loved The Simple Living Guide and I feel that it has changed our lives. Some changes we have made to live more in line with our values:

1) Reduce: Live with less, buy less. Choose consciously.

2) We are not eating out: now this is a big one when you grow up in a family supported by the restaurant industry. I feel like we would eat out (or get take-out) a few times a week while we were growing up. And so that's what continued on for us. I would buy the kids lunch at least once a week while we were out running errands and we would eat dinner out at least once, if not more. It felt normal to me to eat out so often and I felt like I deserved it for working hard all day! Now my sense of entitlement is not so out of control and I realize a huge value of mine is family meals and I think it's better done at home!

3) No malls: I don't want to be an accumulator of stuff. My wants are a lot less if I avoid the shopping centers. I am trying to better identify my needs and wants. I want to consciously think about every purchase and whether I really need it. This has been relatively easy to implement since Mr. Innkeeper quit his job. Every dollar we spend is a dollar we no longer have. Hopefully I can continue my frugal ways once we have a regular income again!

4) Car Free Days: Last week we scheduled a day on the calendar where we would not use the car. We planned around it and enjoyed some time at home.

5) More service: I feel that the best way that I can become less self-centered and more aware of the world around me and the needs of the people in it is to serve more.

Does anyone share my desire for a simpler life? How do you find simplicity?

What did you say?

2007-10-10T15:37:00.000-07:00

I was motivated by a couple of other recent posts about the crazy things that kids say and do found here and here.

In order to understand Joshua's comment you need to know a little about Halifax, Nova Scotia and our sewage. There are lots of glorious things about Halifax and we are green in lots of ways, but this isn't one of them. Halifax Harbour receives 181,000,000 liters of untreated raw sewage everyday. It should be fixed by 2008 with a massive harbour solutions clean-up project.

So a while ago we were playing at a park near the harbour and I felt Joshua was getting a little too close to the water. I told him that we can't touch the harbour water because the water is not very clean and about why the water is not very clean.

Recently I walked in on Joshua when he was flushing the toilet and overheard, "Bye, bye, poop. Gone to the ocean".

Plum Upside Down Cake

2007-10-06T17:18:00.000-07:00

We had missionaries over for dinner on Thursday night. We have six missionaries assigned to our ward and try to have them for dinner about once a week. I made homemade chicken nuggets (as requested by Joshua), pasta, and salad with a Plum upside down cake from CuisineNie for dessert. I was checking her website for new recipes (none yet) and decided this one looked good. It was delicious and it looked so pretty I had to take a picture!

No Impact Man

2007-10-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

Are you familiar with No Impact Man? I check his blog regularly and I find it inspiring and also a little frustrating (because I feel like I'm not doing enough). Anyways, I loved this post and started my gratitude journal last night. I hope he inspires you, too!

Drawing the Line

2007-10-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

So, I have a little problem. I may be a tad too accommodating. A couple of our guests are trying to avoid sugar and white flour. We have options: fruit, eggs, yogurt. But I don't want them to feel like they're missing out on the great baked goods. So I whip a batch of granola minus the brown sugar. Mr. Innkeeper is putting on a loaf of bread with just wheat flour (that I ground by hand - we have whole wheat flour in the cupboard, but I figure if they're trying to avoid white flour they're probably not big on preservatives, either) and we will have some special whole wheat pecan muffins flavored with maple syrup tomorrow morning. I am crazy.

Delia got some bangs a few weeks ago, and I think she's too cute!

I Did Come Back!

2007-09-23T12:28:00.000-07:00

We needed to be back for check-ins on Friday at 4:00 pm and we pulled in the driveway at 3:55 pm. I told my mom that I didn't want to hear from anybody last week, so unless someone was dying, don't call. So she was panicking a little on Friday afternoon in the Newark airport when she hadn't heard from us all week and was hoping I was still coming back to work! She called us at 4:00pm (we were on the phone and didn't get the call) and then again at 4:30pm, she said that she just wanted to make sure that we were there!

It was so nice to be away, to enjoy uninterrupted family meals and to feel free. I felt so normal last week. It was good to get away so that I could realize that all of the craziness I feel is brought on by stress and my current life and that, in fact, I am not crazy (not really crazy, anyways). All the stress was waiting at the door when we got back, and now we just need to figure out what we are going to do next. I have learned a lot over the past year and am grateful for the opportunity I have had to be an innkeeper, but I know this is not what I want to do.

Big thanks to my mom for helping this past week who instead of being upset when I had a little breakdown and quit on her a couple of weeks ago, she just came home so we could get away.

And big thanks to Dad and Ellen who watched our kids for 7 hours yesterday so Mr.Innkeeper and I could have some much needed time to figure out the next steps in our lives (we don't have it figured out yet - but we're getting closer). Both of the kids had a great time - McDonald's, Dollar store, and Blockbuster make for fun memories with the grandparents (hopefully Sarah's not too jealous!).

Until Friday

2007-09-15T18:41:00.001-07:00

Out of town until Friday. Who's running the B&B, you ask? My mom has come from Arizona to rescue us from all of the craziness. We are headed to Bear River, Nova Scotia and I might just spend an entire day doing whatever I want! Hopefully we have some things figured out when we get back.

Happy Birthday to Dad!

2007-09-14T16:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in so long. For those of you who don't know I am literally going crazy at the BB!
This is my Dad on his birthday last year. Sorry I didn't take any pictures tonight!

Shout out to my Dad on his 57th Birthday. We had my dad and my brothers and their families over for dinner. Still enjoying the Feast cookbook by Nigella Lawson, we had a custard sponge birthday cake and rigatoni al forno. The rigatoni took quite a bit of work, it was really good but I don't know if it's worth all the effort. My dad thought the homemade salad dressing that I had left over in the fridge was the best part of the whole meal (which is just the French dressing recipe on the pampered chef salad dressing mixer)!

Hope everyone enjoyed the party! And many happy wishes to the young man!

Joshua on Two Wheels

2007-08-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

Mr. Innkeeper is a lover of bikes, so this is probably one of his proudest parenting moments yet!

We had heard that the fastest way to learn to ride a bike is to take the training wheels and the pedals off, so then the child can get a sense of the balance. Here's Joshua balancing.

Here's Joshua's on one of his first unassisted rides.

And Joshua enjoying some chocolate cake after his first real ride!

The Coolest Dad on the Planet

2007-08-23T05:19:00.000-07:00

Mr. Innkeeper left this morning to attend his cousin's wedding in Salt Lake City. We miss him already. His flight was leaving from Halifax to Chicago early this morning, he was on the same flight (Halifax to Chicago) that my aunt was taking this past Monday. Her flight was canceled two days in a row because of mechanical problems. She finally was able to leave on Tuesday afternoon and take a flight to Montreal and then to Los Angeles (where she spent another night in an airport) before she could get home to Medford. We were grateful to have those extra days with her but we are glad (for her) that she is finally home! So there has been some speculation in our house about Mr. Innkeeper's flight possibly getting canceled today. When Joshua woke up this morning he asked where his Dad was, and then he asked why Dad's plane wasn't broken this morning. And then, after I told him that it was working and was on its way to Chicago, he said "well, my Dad could fix it if it was broken". That's the kind of confidence we all have in him! We hope he hurries home!

Happy Birthday Sarah!

2007-08-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

When I lived in Provo and you were in Salt Lake,
An hour's drive is all it would take.
Some shopping and lunch date,
Then back home so dinner wasn't late.
Nova Scotia and Texas aren't close at all,
I just have to settle for a weekly call.
I'm so sad that I couldn't be there on your special day,
We should have planned a girls' get-a-way.
You can't really leave your new nursing son,
Maybe we can go on a trip when you turn 31!

Back to Work

2007-08-18T05:04:00.000-07:00

Well my mom is gone back to Arizona and my cousins are gone back to their American homes and I am back at work. It was nice to come back from vacation and get to visit with extended family for another week. The B&B was full of family and it just made things a lot more relaxed and fun. It was nice to be together and celebrate my Grandpa's 90th birthday. After everyone left on Monday and Tuesday we had one day off and then we were full, and have been full the rest of this week.
This week I have started making my own yogurt with one of these. The yogurt is tasty and you can add whatever sweetener you like. We were serving yogurt in little individual containers and I just felt like it was such a waste of packaging. I know that they are recyclable, but I thought it was better if I could avoid the waste altogether. The yogurt maker comes with little containers that are reusable. Now I just need my own cow in the backyard!

Happy Birthday!

2007-08-07T17:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Big Guy! We miss you. Lots of love from Canada!

Back from Vacation

2007-08-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

We are sad to be back and miss our family that was able to come to visit from NY and Denver! Here are some of my favorite vacations pics! My mom is still in town and we will do a couple of day trips this week and we have family coming into town for my Grandpa's 90th Birthday, so the fun isn't all over!

Delia in Troy, Nova Scotia.
The cabin that we stayed in was up on a high hill that overlooked the ocean. It was beautiful.

Family pic at Louisbourg

A picture with Joshua and Delia's cousins that traveled from NYC to hang out with us in NS.

Congratulations to the Roberts Family

2007-07-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

My sister, Sarah had a baby boy on Thursday and no doctors were needed for the delivery. This is Sarah's third boy and now she knows how to deliver them herself! I wish I was closer so that I could hold that little baby boy! Welcome Benjamin Edward Roberts! Way to go Sarah - I hope it was the Disney Experience you were hoping for! Can't wait to see pictures (of the baby, not the experience)!

What's for Breakfast

2007-07-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

We headed to the library yesterday after the 4th straight day of rain. I brought back a few cookbooks, including Feast by Nigella Lawson (which is my new favorite cookbook). I started with her fishcakes for dinner (baked, not fried), I made this granola last night and I made her banana buttermilk pancakes for our family breakfast this morning (sometimes I do make breakfast twice, Joshua always asks for pancakes)! We also had potato and onion hash for dinner. All delicious. I had been making a granola recipe that I found on allrecipes.com but I haven't been able to find good quality coconut lately. So I thought I would try this one. Enjoy!
Andy's Fairfield Granola
from Nigella Lawson's Feast

4.5 cups rolled oats
1 cup sunflower seeds
¾ cup sesame seeds
¾ cup apple sauce
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
⅓ cup brown rice syrup
¼ cup honey
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 cups whole almonds
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tbsp. sunflower oil
2 cups raisins
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2.Mix everything (except the raisins) together.

3. Spread on baking sheets and bake for 40-60 minutes (till evenly golden, after one turning).

4. Cool and add raisins.

Notes:
One variation: replace almonds with raw peanuts and add 1/4 cup cocoa powder to seeds and oats at the outset. Skip the raisins.

Kids are Great

2007-07-18T17:47:00.000-07:00

I was playing with Joshua in the basement the other day and he was pretending that we were going hunting in the Arctic. We saw polar bears and penguins and we were having a great time! I was getting hungry and I asked if he wanted to come upstairs with me and get a snack. Joshua said "Mom, can you just bring my snack down here, I'm not done using my imagination."

What are great things your kids have said lately?

Loving the Kids

2007-07-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

Mr. Innkeeper has been waking up with Delia at night and getting her back to sleep for the past week. I hadn't slept through the night in over four years and it showed! Delia had a couple of rough nights at the beginning of last week, but now settles right down with Mr. Innkeeper and I have gotten to sleep! Glorious sleep!

This past week I have been able to enjoy my kids and family so much more and the business goes way smoother! As I was putting Joshua to bed tonight I was thinking about how much I love him and enjoy him, instead of "please go to bed so I can have one minute to myself!" I love being a well-rested mom! And I love Mr. Innkeeper!

Riding the Bus with Jason

2007-07-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

My brother is famous, you can see him here:

http://www.cbc.ca/thisibelieve/

The Barbeque

2007-07-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

Strawberry Muffins for Canada Day!

We had a barbeque on Monday to celebrate Canada Day. I was arranging my newly painted chairs (Happy Anniversary to me from Mr. Innkeeper) on the back deck at around noon, thinking to myself how it was such a perfect day for an outdoor party.

We had people come for 1:00 pm so all of our guests would be checked out and the rooms would be clean in case people wanted to have a look around. We had just over 50 people show up, and then the torrential down pour began. We all crammed into the house while Mr. Innkeeper manned the grill. It rained off and on for the entire party, but cleared up in time to have fireworks at Grandpa Bill's!

B&B Etiquette

2007-07-03T04:37:00.000-07:00

When staying at a B&B please remember that the host is most often the one who checks you in and makes you breakfast. Check-in time is between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm and while I am happy to accommodate people outside that window of time, I like a heads up! Breakfast is better if I am well-rested! Well, I'm not really sure about being well-rested since that hasn't happened in over 4 years, but that's another topic.

One night this week we had someone check in at 1:30 in the morning. Mr. Innkeeper and I had waited up until midnight and figured the guest was a no show. He rang the bell at 1:30, Mr. Innkeeper got out of bed to check our guest in and asked him if his flight was delayed. The response: "I got in around 11:00 pm". Uh, okay, so we're not sure if he headed downtown for a drink, since we're only 15 minutes from the airport or why he couldn't call when he arrived at the airport! I just don't think he realized how it works at a B&B. It's quite simple - just let us know if you're going to be late! And if you're going out on the town, stop and get your keys first, so I can go to bed!

Flowers from my Garden

2007-07-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

I am grateful this week to have found someone to help me on Sundays. I have been struggling at trying to get everything done before church and then rush home to try and finish cleaning rooms before guests arrive. And I was having a hard time to find someone who could work on Sundays, truth be told, I didn't even want to ask anyone. I don't want to be a Sunday employer, but I just couldn't get it all done and retain my sanity. My friend's mother's name kept coming to my mind as I would reflect on my problem and I dismissed it several times thinking that she wouldn't want to clean all day Sunday. But finally I called her and she was willing to come. Today was her first day and she did an excellent job (she even said she enjoyed it). I am so glad that the house was clean when I came home today, because church has already put me on the verge and I definitely don't feel like scrubbing toilets today!

Delia was not happy in Sacrament Meeting, so I took her out for that hour. The next hour I taught Sunday School to three 12 and 13 year olds. And the next hour I stayed with Joshua, who is still having issues with his new Sunbeam teacher. Joshua had some pretty big tantrums in the hall and there was plenty of stress to go around. Thankfully, Delia had a good time in Nursery. Sometimes I feel that the only reason I am going to Church is to obey!

Happy Canada Day! We're having a big barbeque tomorrow to celebrate, and we're hoping for sunshine! I don't think there are many places more beautiful than Nova Scotia when the sun is shining!

Delia, our Rudolph

2007-06-24T18:17:00.000-07:00

Delia and Joshua were walking around our tree in the backyard (notice the newly planted geraniums!).

There are paving stones surrounding the planter.

Delia fell off of the planter and her little nose landed right on a paving stone.

THANK YOU!

2007-06-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

Sundays are usually my busiest days. Church is at 11:00, and I haven't found anyone to help on Sundays. Since we were full last night, things were even more hectic than the normal hectic Sunday morning pace. Mr. Innkeeper and I got up to make breakfast and the kids slept in until about 8:20 which makes things a ~~little~~ lot easier!

I stayed in my grubbies this morning because I was going to clean while Mr. Innkeeper did breakfast. I was heading upstairs to clean a room when four of our guests came down and just when Joshua and Delia were waking up. Mr. Innkeeper went in to take care of the kids, and I was left there in my pajamas (gasp!) to welcome the guests to breakfast. Hopefully no one could tell they were my pajamas! I made eggs for all four of our guests (which brings me to another question - if I were to offer you eggs in the morning, would you ever say "I think I'll have pancakes... No, I mean, uh... Oh, I don't know what I was thinking... I'll have french toast, thanks?" - Well, it happened. Two mornings in a row.).

Mr. Innkeeper got the kids calmed down, and I cleaned one of the rooms upstairs, then tried to clean up breakfast, prepare a lesson for Sunday school, take a shower and get ready for church, and be out the door by 10:30. Oh, and Mr. Innkeeper had a lesson to prepare as well. (Luckily, he was up at 5:30 this morning to shower and shave.) We were on time for church, my lesson went well, Delia went to Nursery (it was her first week), Joshua had some issues with his new Sunbeam teacher (Mr. Innkeeper was his teacher, but was recently called to be YM President), Mr. Innkeeper had a great lesson with the YM, but I actually attended a portion of the Relief Society Meeting today!

Anyways, the point of the post is thank you to Dad and Ellen. When we came home from church the house was much cleaner than when we left it due to the efforts of my father and his sweet wife. It was so nice to come home to a clean, clean house!

Our clean kitchen and Joshua

There were a couple of American Sailors visiting at church today and Mr. Innkeeper wanted to invite them over for dinner, I said of course, but wasn't sure how I was going to get the house clean, clean the other room that had to be done by 4:00 pm and make dinner. We feel truly blessed to have such great helpers in our lives. I also called to invite my neighbor and her family over for dinner, and she said that she had already made dinner and dessert and that there would be enough for everybody, so she would bring it over! Delia fell asleep on the way home from church, so Mr. Innkeeper, Joshua, and I cleaned the green room in record time and I had enough time to post before dinner. What an incredibly good day!

And thanks to my wonderful neighbor for the delicious chicken and

the yummy cake!

A Day Off & Bad Things Come in 3's

2007-06-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

We had an easy day today. Only one couple for breakfast, young honeymooners from Manitoba. They were so nice. We were supposed to have another couple staying with us, but when they showed up last night they said they couldn't stay with us because our house smelled of paint.

I am trying to make a piece of artwork for our bedroom and I smelled up the house a little bit with oil paints. Our B&B is scent-free and is usually a safe place for people with chemical sensitivities. Our guest hadn't told us that she was chemically sensitive (they usually do) and I didn't know the oil paints would smell so bad (I had never tried painting before), so put that together and you end up with unhappy customers.

They said they were going out to dinner and then would come back to see if they would be able to stay here. We took the painting out of the basement and put it in the shed, opened all the windows, turned on some fans and voila - in 30 minutes no smell. But they didn't come back - they called at 10:30 pm and said they found another place to stay and would stop by here today to check on "the smell." They were going to be our only guests tonight so I have been waiting at home all night for them, thinking that they most likely are not coming, but waiting to be sure. So, our first night off since May 23, but I'm not sure if it counts if you have to stay home all night wondering if the people that said they were going to come actually do.

Sarah told me that bad things happen in sets of threes, so I figure I should be done for a while:

1. I almost burned down the B&B last Thursday. I turned the frying pan on and poured some oil on for stir-fry and then Joshua made a run for the front door telling me he wants to go pee outside. We run a business from our home on a busy road - there will be no peeing off of the front porch we tell him.
We were willing to let him go out back and tried to encourage him to do so, but that wasn't what he had in mind. There is kicking, screaming, and biting (all from the 4 year old!) and we had guests upstairs. We make the trek to the basement, so the battle is inaudible to our paying customers.
Everyone is finally calmed down and we head upstairs to a kitchen full of smoke. Mr. Innkeeper grabs the flaming pan, he runs it outside and we are shaken, but safe. Then the smoke detector starts going off, which causes the alarm system to go off. Our guests come out of their bedroom and ask in their English accent "Do we have to evacuate the building?", and then our guests from Mexico arrive home, and then the firetrucks arrive (courtesy of ADT) and my Dad (courtesy of ADT). Turns out ADT tried to call, but Mr. Innkeeper was on the phone taking a reservation, while the alarm and smoke detector were going off, and since ADT couldn't get through they sent reinforcements. Our Mexican guests still enjoyed their stay with us - see here.

2. The next day the washing machine flooded. I tried to wash my mattress pad (because Delia's diaper leaked during the night) and it was a little too big for the machine!

3. On Sunday I almost hit Joshua with the van. I had to leave church early and so I said good-bye to Mr. Innkeeper and the kiddos, but Joshua started running up to the van as I was backing up - so scary. I miss being car-free.

I will try to post the positive things that are happening as well. My life is full of them.