Backwoods Wife

{pretty, happy, funny, real} ~ Valentine's Edition

 

A valentine for Mommy and Daddy from Hendrik.

{pretty}

The week leading up to Valentine's Day and Emma's birthday was a busy one.  We tried to stop and enjoy the roses along the way though. :)  My sister Christen and I found these lovelies at our local grocery store on Sunday, we split the bouquet between us.  Aren't the colours amazing?  These photos have not been enhanced, nor has a flash been used, this is their natural splendor!

 

 

 

{happy}

Dwayne and I went out to a formal event on Saturday night.  We have friends who are part of the RCMP and thought this a great chance to visit with friends, have a night out together, and have an excuse to dig out formalwear (we were hunting around outside in -20C looking for the storage bins containing our suits and formal dresses!).  Sadly, I didn't take a photo of us dressed up.  Silly!

 

 

 

{funny}

If I dig out my camera, so does everyone else.  Here are my sweet, funny girls taking photos too on their play camera and iphone.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

{real}

There is real progress happening in our yard these days.  If you look past the heart decorations on the window you will see menfolk milling lumber and splitting logs in preparation for the addition we will putting on soonish.  Yay! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Belated Mother's Day photos

Mother's Day afternoon we took a little trek into our very local National Park (lucky us!).  The weather was beautiful, we saw a few garter snake stragglers who had moved along to their summer grounds yet, we had an enjoyable little hike, and enjoyed cookies and 7-up on the giant rocks bordering the parking lot. 

 

A pre-trip game of tag with Dad.

Fun on the lawn!

Isn't he handsome?

A princess leads the way

Look out for the ice Mom!

 

Into the wild...

 

Emma's first hike

 

It's fun in the forest, especially when you have a pinwheel.

 

Pondering something.

 

Looking for garter snakes

 

Scaling large boulders is one of this princess' favourite activities.

 

Family photo!

 

Photo credits for some of these go to my dad. :)

A belated birthday post

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated Dwayne's birthday.  We didn't end up taking any still pictures on our camera but Dad did shoot a little video of us singing "Happy Birthday" to Dwayne with the kids helping to blow out the candles. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DWAYNE!  We love you!! :)

Je me souviens.

I painted this crude image my 2nd year away from home while at university. In the province I was living in Remembrance Day hardly seemed to be remembered at all, which I found ironic as it hosts our nation's capital. Unless you worked for the government life went on as usual - school, work, etc. I remember finding it so strange to have classes that day and stranger to find that Remembrance Day wasn't mentioned at all. There were people wearing poppies here and there but that was it. I couldn't figure it out.

I had grown up with Remembrance Day being a big deal. In our territory it was a holiday. Most of the town, or so it seemed, would gather in the morning for the annual Remembrance Day service. The local cadets would participate, as would the Girl Guides and Boy Scouts. At the end of the service everyone would walk down the main road, following veterans, members of the Rangers, Royal Canadian Legion and R.C.M.P. to the cennitaph. It is typically very cold and windy on November 11th and although the walk is short it is not comfortable. That, I think, is a good thing. If we can imagine the discomfort and suffering that men and women of our country went through, and continue to go through, to secure our freedom we will appreciate their commitment and sacrifice that much more. This little painting was my response to a day where there seemed to be no response around me. It just felt wrong. So I observed the occasion myself in my residence room. Je me souviens.