A Backyard Petting Zoo

What a wonderful surprise to hear that my Grandma (who is 99!) arranged for my Aunt to come into town and bring some of her animals and then invited us to come over.
Aunt Shirley brought some pigs, chickens, geese, guinea pigs, rabbits and baby kittens.  What was our favorite?  The 8 day old minature potbelly pig.  I've never seen a little pig so small!  I could have taken her home (I wonder what Cam would have thought about that?!)

So cute, right?!

 

We got to feed her with an eye dropper.

What a messy eater!

Piggy kisses!

A picture to show perspective of how tiny she is

The kids LOVED these little kitties!

My Dad loves this 3 month old pig cause it reminds him of his furby!

The backyard with the pens and lots of animals

 

I think these pigs spent the entire afternoon scratching on everything!

Our entire group (minus Fern,who took this pic for us)

Thank you Grandma for arranging this fun afternoon and allowing us to spend it with you.

And Thank you Aunt Shirley for bringing all your sweet animals in for us to cuddle and pet!

We loved it!!

A Hawaiian Stampede

A Hawaiian Stampede??   What??
I think that's exactly what ran through my mind when I showed up at a free Stampede lunch today and the first thing we recieved as we got into line, was a brightly colored lay.  One for everyone.

Now, before I go any farther, I know some of you asked me what the best Stampede breakfasts/lunches were that they should go to and I never gave you any ideas......  I'm sorry.   But, the best ones I went to this year are ones I had never been to before, until today.  So, take note for next year.
And for those of you who are anti-Stampede and can't imagine why you'd want to join in the fun... maybe this will change your mind and help you to realize that there are some really good events that are family oriented.

Anyways, my Dad told me about two for today.... one a breakfast, one a lunch.
I must admit, that last night, I actually considered staying home today.  I thought it would be more work than it might be worth.  Yes, I had those thoughts.  But, I was so wrong.  It was totally worth getting up for.

BREAKFAST (the best one so far!)
Executive Royal Inn (off Barlow Trail in the NE)
Why was it fantastic??   Breakfast consisted of a couple large pancakes, sausages and bacon and orange juice.  Small lines (only 10-15 people in front of us), fun entertainment that consisted of Chinese dragon dancers, belly dancers, singer, indian dancers... , games for the kids with little to no line ups.  Sweet.  Lots of places to sit and good parking.  Need I go on?
Here's a couple pictures....

The kids joining in the Indian's circle dance

Indian chicken dancer

Mmmmm.  Great breakfast!!

LUNCH (a must do for next year!!)
Van Houtte coffee cafe (off 10 Ave NE)
Why was it fantastic??   Well, I don't think any other lunch can compare.
We had hamburgers, complete with all the toppings you want like cheese and tomatoes and lettuce....
This year was a hawaiian theme (apparently every year they pick a different culture) and we had roast beef, bbq pork, bbp pineapple, a couple different salads, chips and pop.
Along with great food, we had the chance to listen to a band, watch a hula dancer and they had activity/crafts for the kids and proffesional face painters.
Have a look at some pictures....

My sister and all the kids we had with us. 

 

 

 

 

BBQ pork.  I thought it was funny they put a flower on it's head. 

The long tables of all the food

Mmmmmmm..... so good!!

Happy 65th Birthday Mom!

So, my Mom turned 65 a couple weeks ago.  In fact, my Mom shares her birthday with Canada....  July 1st.
My sister, Fern, and I both knew that Mom should have a nice cake for her birthday, but Mom kept saying she wasn't going to be around for her birthday.  Until, a couple days before, she finally said she was going to be home and we were going to have a "Canada Day" party and NOT a "birthday" party.  Oh, she can be so difficult sometimes when it comes to her birthday. 

Anyways, Fern and I decided to work together to make her a cake.  We both helped in the baking of it and in putting together and decorating it.
Here's some pictures of it...

Stampede Fun

If you like to go out to free Stampede breakfasts, lunches or dinners, 

there's a good chance you might see this guy.....

This is his mode of transportation........

I think this is the sweetest bike helmet ever.  Is it even legal??  Look at those horns!

The newest addition this year.... the wolf!  Ha Ha ha! And I love the sign above it that says "STOP, I wanna GET OFF."

Just who is this guy?  Who loves the Stampede and dresses up as such?

Well, let me introduce you to.... MY DAD!

So, if you ever see him, go and say "Hello!"

And lastly, here's a little picture of us enjoying our first Stampede lunch...

Serving Those We Love

This week my sister, my Mom and I decided to give a little service. 
My Grandma, who is 99, hasn't been feeling the best.  In fact, for the first time ever, I think we're all starting to agree that she's finally starting to show her age.  For 99, she's still doing great, but not like she has been.  The last couple of months, she seems like she's aged a lot.

My Grandma loves gardening.  Loves it.  I think it's one of the things that has helped to keep her so young all these years.  Grandma has one of the biggest gardens I know.  It's big.  Probably bigger than most people's back yards.

So, the other night, we decided to do some weeding.   A LOT of weeding.
Here's some pictures....

 All done for tonight.   Look, we can actually see what vegetables are growing in each row.  Phew!

A visit with Grandma, show her some pictures of her garden and how it's growing and a chance to get some pictures together.  

 Being goofy with Grandma.  Make a silly face!

Love you Grandma!