An Unexpected Gift

     Another holiday season has drawn to a close and the new year stretches out ahead of us. I always enjoy the holidays. Any excuse to celebrate really.

     I had a beautiful tree, made my grandmother's mince meat, had not 1 but 2 Pinterest successes, made gingerbread houses, made hot pepper jelly, ruined gingerbread houses making hot pepper jelly, pepper gassed the house making hot pepper jelly, again.

    My cousin from Halifax stopped by with girlfriend in tow, I made them wild blackberry pie, drank beer, burned dinner, drank more beer, laughed a lot. Had pie for breakfast.

    My mom and aunt came up, cooked up a storm, got in a car accident, had dinner (I didn't make them pie, I made fajitas), had Chinese take out for Christmas Eve, my aunt and uncle came by for Christmas dinner, Mom made my bed, lots more laughs, my aunt started calling my mom Crash (it's never too soon), lots of gifts and treats from the family, in addition to treats one of my aunts sent up a box of my grandparents photos, can't wait to get into those.

     All in all a rollicking, good time.

The tree, so shiny
So very, very tall

What just happened?

Pinterest 1 and 2

Meringue Christmas trees

Lemon Sugar cookies

recipes forthcoming

Treats, boxes and boxes of treats

Treasure, my precious

      It wasn't all fun and games, I also had the chance to see and participate in some truly generous moments.

    My cousin drove 4 hours out of her way to be able to surprise my partner with a visit that lasted about an hour. He adores her, They laughed and joked like they'd seen each other yesterday. I'm not sure she will ever be able to appreciate how much that brief visit meant to the both of us or how amazing it was to see them being with him, talking with him all on his terms. No talking over him because it's so hard for him to communicate, no bitching we drove all this way stay up a little longer. Just being present.

     My father had my mother send flowers not just to my partner but to the two women who share his dining room table as well. Just a small thank you for being so nice to him.

     My aunts got together and made things specifically for my partner. Box after box of his favourites. A way of saying we miss you and are thinking of you.

    I knew one of the ladies at his dining room tale was having a tough time this year. I bought her a bottle of perfume her husband used to buy for her just to remind her of better days. She was laughing at the table with us, sticking our her green festive tongue from those little meringue Christmas trees.
It was awesome.

     Now if you're thinking that was the unexpected gift, you'd be wrong. I can always depend on my family for fellowship and good times. The last few years have been tough being away from it as much as I have been.

     It came with the new year. It marked the 41st month. He beat the odds. Every day, from that day forward, is an unexpected gift.

      I didn't make any resolutions. I don't expect 2016 will be particularly kind to us. I will graciously accept that gift and hold tight to it what ever may come.

     May 2016 bring you the best of everything, unexpected or not.

Less Wordy Wednesday, Introducing...

     Here he is, the newest little great grandchild, born on my grandmother's actual birthday yesterday, Reid Gardiner. Jacob, Mindy's nephew was all pleased, now we're even , three boys, three girls. The balance of power restored.

Reid Gardiner,

Born March 13, 2012

8 pounds, 2 ounces

21 inches long and breach

(he'll pay for that eventually)

      Mindy and new son are both fine and will be out of hospital by Friday. Can't wait until I meet the newest cousin. Kriket, you called it being a boy. Mindy and Doug never opened the envelope so the sex of the baby was a surprise.

     Few pics from the weekend.

Old point and shoot

Madison, My cousin Jeff and Heather's little girl looking sweet

Does not like me much

Did not want a picture taken

Piper and Maeve

My cousin Kriket and Ian's two youngest

Sugar and Spice

with a generous splash of Snips and Snails thrown in

Don't let those adorable faces fool you.

A repeat of Mindy and Doug,

the proud new parents

My grandmother again,

surrounded by her children

My grandfather was under the weather so is absent

Now for the new DSLR.

First actual picture,

As opposed to all the auto focusing I did

My aunt Karen,

Thanks for the  camera rescue

My cousin Janet,

She hasn't changed much since highschool

Her maiden name is Darling, so she has always been, Janet, big pause, Darling to me LOL

My aunt Aileen, Leenie, the new grandma off to the side

My cousin Adam and Laurie's two, Katie and Curtis

Meah, my cousin Chrystal and Jimmy

Didn't realize I had the whole family there

Kendall and Holly,

Kriket's oldest and Jenny's middle daughter

My cousin Rodney's wife, Samantha and their youngest Ryler

Kade and Theron, their other sons were having none of me taking pictures

Theron was only to happy to show me he had lost a tooth though

     As you can see I missed most of the family, between thinking the new camera wasn't working and running out of battery power for the old one, arghhhhhh. Amazing the difference between the two though and I have the new one all on auto settings still.

     Back to my parents farm for a few more shots.

Horses all shaggy in their winter coats

The new lambs

It's that time again

Gathering sap and making maple syrup

Everyone gets involved

that's my uncle Doug, Mindy's dad, the new grandpa in the red

Dad drills the holes,

After replacing the drill bit he broke

There may have been cursing

Then the crew follows with spigots, lids and buckets

Katy, aka the Beib, showing me some love

She's all kinds of funny

The Canadian geese are returning

And I finally got a half decent shot of the red headed woodpecker

It only took about 30 shots

And another.

I should have been manually focusing but got a great hi def picture of the leaves in the forefront.

     I've been having lots of fun with my new toy and the new software to edit my photos. One more thing on the list to keep me perpetually behind with everything. Hope you're all having a great Wednesday.



Less Wordy Wednesday

     So it is supposed to be a Wordless Wednesday but....

My maternal grandmother as a girl

Beatrice Elizabeth Sadler

With her new husband, Herbert Leach Fisher

 and firstborn child, my aunt Marlyn

Eleven children later

The last, my aunt Deb in her arms

My uncle Leonard wrapped around her neck

Still smiling.

     Pictures like these are why I love doing the family histories here in the "Kitchen". Happy Wednesday.

If I could have your attention please!

     Ahem, I have an announcement to make, two actually.

     First, January is family month here in the "Kitchen". 

     As you may or may not know a big part of the blog is dedicated to my family research. Along the way I've gathered pictures, stories and some of my far flung cousins. All of my information is in serious need of an update. I'll be working on that throughout January. There might not be a lot of new posts, but there will be a lot of new material.

 For Family Members

If you have pictures, stories or recipes you'd like to share, email me. I'll include any new material as I'm doing the overhaul.

I'm slowly gathering things to do a memorial page for Leo, like I've already done for Grandma and Grandpa Fisher. If you have anything you'd like to contribute, email me. I'm hoping to have it ready by about June so....

For Non Family Members (there have to be a few of you who aren't connected to my family in some way)

If you'd like to share stories about your family or how you have researched your family tree, email me. I'd be more than happy to have a few guest posts.

     Second, February is social media month.

     As Google retires Friend Connect, learning how to use the various social media applications becomes a bit more important. I'm looking for authors to guest post about their experiences. Everything from rants about it being ineffective to raves and tutorials on how to use them. I am a rank amateur as the first post of February will show so don't be shy. I have a few authors on board but welcome more.  Nothing would please me more than 28 guest posts to follow my introduction. Hopefully a learning experience for all involved. Email me if you're interested.

     Thanks for listening, now I'm off to sift through over a thousand pictures and 300 family emails. Sure I can get it all done by January 31st.

Gifts from the Heart

     Okay, I promise last post related to the holidays. 
     The biggest beef a lot of people have with the Christmas season is the rampant consumerism. Must have toys, advertising that starts just after Halloween, that whole keeping up with the Jones' mentality. I won't deny my family spends at Christmas, of course they do. BUT. Almost as much is spent on food for assorted holiday gatherings. Many of the gifts received are from the kitchen, or, the heart.

     My Mom out did herself this year.

     Last year in response to Ferd's smart assed Christmas list;
The Hope diamond = a blue Glo Pop ring with the Redneck letter of authenticity and curse removal
Peace on earth = A jar of dirt and a question mark( I suggested a jar of dirt with peas on top)
The bones of John Merrick(aka the Elephant Man) = a wolf skull with a letter explaining a little known fact he was indeed a werewolf

     We laughed until there were tears in our eyes. My mom also enlisted the help of the family in creating these unique responses. Fun for all involved.

     This year, my father received a scrap book detailing the history of our farm from its original crown land grant to the present. I got one detailing my life, from the baptismal certificate, through all the grade school photos and report cards to the present. It was awesome, she even included my baby bracelet from the hospital. Then there was Ferd, again. This is one of two photos he received, beautifully framed and mounted.

The associated title was,"Mama Mia, here I go again"

     So what you may ask? Here's the thing. This is the original photo

     She had photoshopped his head onto the other photo. He is terrified of our horses but is always asking for pictures for bragging rights at work. The Abba reference was supplied by my cousin because Ferd has an unusual fondness for the group. Once again, family participation and a good laugh all the way around.

     Although there were other gifts, these were the treasures. No designer labels, no outrageous price tags. Gifts of time and thought, from the heart. You're the best, Mom.

Celebrating 90 years with my Grandfather

     On Thursday October 20th, 2011, my grandfather turned 90. That's right, 90 years old. On the actual day he was surrounded by family and friends and there was also another party planned the following Sunday so we could all join in and wish him "Happy Birthday".

     Just to give you some idea of what he was in for, he and my grandmother raised 11 children, who had 26 grand children who have so far had 29 great grand children. Add in husbands, wives, significant others and there are over 90 of us and that's not including any of my grandfather's brothers and sisters or their families. A gathering of the clan is always a big event.

Some random crowd shots

     Sunday dawned cloudy and wet but cleared off into a sunny, if crisp, 12 degree fall day. It was perfect. After riding with my Mom in the morning, I gathered up my desserts and off I went.

     We all brought something and I was asked, as a grandchild, to bring something sweet, other than myself of course.  I brought these, one of my favourites and courtesy of Buttercream Barbie a new recipe here, Cheesecake Swirl Brownies. Mine were no where near as nice looking as Tia's , I'm swirl challenged, but delicious none the less. All I can add to her recipe is the better the chocolate and cocoa, the better the end result.

     Anyway, I went rushing over to the house, I was running a little late, only to find I was at the wrong spot. As I walked into my grandparent's, my grandmother called out, "You're in the wrong place, everyone is at the hall ".Well no one told me that, I had passed the hall on my way over and did wonder what was going on. As I relayed the story, my aunt Jean laughed and said, "Oh, I did say I'd get back to you didn't I." It's all in the details and I guess I didn't get them all. LOL

     Noon until 2:00 pm was lunch with the immediate family, then 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm  was opened up for visiting with everyone else. Sounds like lots of time doesn't it? It was over so quickly and there were so many people, it was all a bit of a blur. But what a blur.

My grandfather, the star of the event

My grandparents, enjoying the cake

     There was a ton of good food and I got to visit with people I haven't seen in a while, re acquainted myself with some of my younger cousins and just had an all round good time. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm not sure I actually talked to my grandfather when he got to the hall. He drove over himself, just in case he wanted to leave. He may not like crowds much, or celebrating his birthday on any day other than the one he was born, but he looked like he had a great time. And he didn't leave early. LOL

My uncle Jimmy and his children, Chris, April and David with my grandparents

Chris's wife Krista with their newborn Austin

My aunt Deb with her eldest grandchild Alyssa

All of Deb's girls,

Her daughters, Chrystal and Sarah

Her grand daughters, Meah, Alyssa and Hannah

Chris's daughter Alicia with Alyssa

Alicia was having none of me until Alyssa joined her

Alyssa loved having her picture taken

Jason's son Devin

Mom, Holly and Piper behind

Holly calls my mother Grandma Joan and follows her everywhere

Holly isn't my daughter

The greats, well some of them

Zach, Piper, Katie. Colin, Jacob, Devin in the tree, Curtis and Lindsay

The greats again with Deseree finally showing her face

She wasn't all that keen to have me photograph her

Kriket's oldest, Kendall

Kriket is the nick name her father, Roy, gave her and it stuck

Kendall proudly pointed out what her mother had made as we were going through the buffet

I mentioned she was almost as tall as her mother and she said, " I know "

Kriket's youngest Maeve

Mom, Holly and Piper in the background

When I mentioned what charmers their three girls were,

Kriket and Ian told me they had read them the riot act before they arrived

A picture of Jamie's son Zach (with cake on his face)

A lovely picture of me

Zach took this one because I was taking his

Note to self, never let anyone take another picture of me from this angle

     My cousin Susan had some great old pictures of Grandpa hunting and fishing and had the real estate posting for Dowsett Island, a family fishing camp my grandfather went to as a young man. For just over 300 K you can own your very own island in the Big Rideau lake.

     A bit of his past, surrounded by his present with the future running all around him (or hanging out of the trees), I can't think of a better testament to 90 years of living. Many happy returns.

        A little more about my grandfather here, his family with my grandmother here and the Craig's in general here.