New Blog

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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!

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

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!

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!

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

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!

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!

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!

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

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

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!

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

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!