Saturday, April 30, 2011

Caching along Highway 619

I took the kids Geocaching yesterday afternoon. We went after lunch for a few hours and good thing too because the heavens opened up shortly after we got home! So much rain and wind! We got snow overnight too, bah! I thought that tackling a few caches along the # 619 range road would be a good way to start our season.

Our first stop was a fun little cache above Redfox Creek Valley HiDeeKi #5. I think that's one of the best things about Geocaching, seeing places you ordinarily would never go to. It's a pretty spot and the cache was an easy find. The Superstar literally tripped over it!


We saw our first crocus. Once we spotted one, they were everywhere...



There's still snow in the shade spots and lots of standing water. We laughed at some of the shapes left behind in the ditches. Like this one...


We drove to the next cache and I can't wait to favorite it! It's called HiDeeKi #10. I didn't know Lake Marguerite was there, ice and all. There were cool stone ruins (probably an old barn) and a pretty little cemetery perched on a hill over looking the lake.

I didn't take the kids to the cemetery because the Superstar thought it was creepy and there was a closed gate. I'd hate to trespass on some one's property but I'd love to go back and have a look at it someday. I also want to check out the lake with the kayak if there's public access.





Kendal was our next stop after the lake. The village of Kendal is truly tiny, only about 60 people live there but their kids park is great! If there weren't pools of water we'd have stayed for a longer time. The cache we were looking for was hidden well, but easy to find. It's called Cummin 22 and it's one of many along the # 48 highway that tcummin has placed. I'm hoping to get all of them this year so I'm happy with the quality of this one.


We were going to stop at the PFRA to let the Superstar find the cache there (I found it last year) but Mr. Man decided to go down the slide in the above picture even though I told him he'd get wet. He had a good slide and a wet bottom and I learned a lesson when geocaching with kids. Always bring extra dry warm clothes!

So 3 out 4 isn't bad. We'll get the last cache another day...

In fact I have a whole route planned out for tomorrow!


Friday, April 29, 2011

Royal Wedding

Nope I didn't watch it. My girlfriend JoAnn had a party kind of like an Oscar party complete with themed food and drink. I'll have to ask her how it went!

Instead of witnessing this event in person, I've decided to be more passive so I bought a book. But not just any book. I mean you know me by now!


Knit Your Own Royal Wedding is by Fiona Goble and it's delightful! I laughed and laughed as I flipped through instructions on how knit everyone from Kate Middleton to Prince Harry to the Arch Bishop of Canterbury. 



I have to admit that I have no intention of knitting any of these toys. This is truly a coffee table book. But as the years pass and these two people live their lives very much in the spotlight, I'll pick up my book and have a giggle.

Happy Friday :)

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Dreamin'...

I have to admit I'm a wannabe kayaker. I dream about being a kayaker with a capitol K. I think I've been drawn to sailing because I just want to be on the water. Kayaking seems like the closest thing for me.

The hilarious part is I live in Indian Head, Saskatchewan, right in the middle of Canada, about 5 hours straight west of Winnipeg (google it if you dare)...


Notice that there isn't any water anywhere near me on this map?!

So while it appears that way, it isn't really true. There is water here. There are 4 lakes just a 15 minute drive from my house that will be fun to explore. There is also a great river to kayak that connects these lakes called the Qu'Appelle River. It used to be a fur trading route and my kayak is small enough to navigate it just fine. Except maybe in a drought year when there isn't enough water or a year like this one when there is too much!



I got a Backroad Mapbook yesterday for Southern Saskatchewan and I'm totally surprised by the paddle listings! There are 25 lake and 9 river listings all withing a few hours of me. That's a few years worth of exploring I think!

I'm so excited to get started, I can't even begin to tell you! I just need to get myself a roof rack and transport system and I'm all set!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Queue Review

taking a peek into my never ending queue...

Sorry about missing last week, time kind of slipped away from me and before I knew it a week has passed without blogging.

So anyway I've been loving some of the new patterns on Ravelry lately. There are lots of spring editions coming out and I'm still a bit enamored with the new Twist Collective for spring. There are lots of great patterns there that I would love to knit but I'll probably only really knit one or maybe 2. I blogged last time about the sun blanket, I still adore this blanket!

just in case you forgot what it looks like!

Another pattern that I really like is Vesna. I like it because it gives you a few different options. The first is a scarf/shawlette that looks airy and pretty. I love the lace pattern. The other is a stole/wrap, also a very pretty lace pattern. I like that Vesna means spring and that the lace patterns are Estonian. I really think I'll be buying this pattern soon. I have some nice fingering weight yarn from Tanis that has been waiting for the perfect pattern!



I'll share a few more of my faves from this issue of Twist but I really encourage you to click on the link and flip through the magazine yourself. There are 26 patterns that are worth checking out.

photo by jamie dixon

photo by jane heller

photo by jamie dixon

So what's in your queue?

Monday, April 25, 2011

The Fesers

click to make bigger

I had a lovely visit with my friends from Tanzania a few weeks ago. Christine and Jeremy are missionaries working for Pamoja Ministries. I love when they come through and stop in to visit. It usually means there's a new baby to admire and other little people who are growing up way to fast. I also get a chance to catch up and reconnect with an old friend (I can say that because it's been 20 years now, wow!).

Tasha and baby Ben


Jacob and Mr. Man


the Superstar and Paul

Thanks for coming to stay with us and sharing your stories. I hope the next time you're in Canada you can stay longer. Safe journeys my friends!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

FO - Aidez

I finished the sweater on Earth Day just like I wanted. I tried it on and...



I wonder why I'm so hard to please when it comes to sweaters...



OK, so the things I would change and do differently next time are:
- knit the arms a size larger than the size I'm knitting the sweater. The arms are tight although, they've loosened up a bit and were fairly comfortable last night.
- adjust the 1x1 ribbing to start with a knit and end with a purl instead of starting with a knit and ending with a knit. When it came time to seam, it was obvious, which is a shame because it's an easy thing to fix. At least it's consistent through all the ribbing seams
- add a few inches to the arm length but that may be fine if I knit the next size arm.
- do a ear corn cable in the back portion to mirror the front panels. I chose a simple twist cable that looks fine but I think it would have looked better with the same cables.



Why am I so picky? The sweater looks great. I wore it all night last night and it felt fine. It fit and was warm and I love the creaminess.



The Superstar requested one in baby blue. I'm thinking that would be a lovely fall project. Maybe I'll get it right next time...

Saturday, April 23, 2011


A few weeks ago the Pathfinders and Rangers went Geocaching in town. We found a new one and checked in on an old find. It was a cold but fun hour and half of walking around with 5 rather silly teenagers. I think the winter was too long, they were pretty happy to be set loose with a GPS.



When the water dries up a bit I'll be taking this unit south to the number 48 highway and do a geocaching day trip. There are so many caches all along that highway in towns like Montmarte, Kendal, Odessa, Vibank, Davin, and White City. It's a great way to expose the girls to the history and monuments in the towns around us (as that is often where caches are hidden).

I'm lucky that these ladies share my enthusiasm for this game. If you're curious about geocaching check out their website. It's a great way to get outside and participate in the greatest treasure hunt ever.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Earth Day



I took a bit of a break from blogging this past week (had a bad cold, got some company, then more company) but I'm back and ready to fill you in on some of the fun stuff that's been happening around here. I'm hoping if I get all my chores done today, I'll have a big chunk of time to fire off some blog posts tomorrow. So today I'm only sharing a few pictures and a question.

The top picture is of my Easter Lily. I wanted something spring-like and pretty in the house because the weather has been the pits here. It has literally snowed everyday for the past few weeks (except the last few days). All that flooding I posted about last week is mostly receding and yet there's lots of water and some areas are still threatened by ice and floods.

The next picture is of my Aidez sweater. I'm seaming it today, well hopefully I get it seamed today! It's my Earth Day project.



It made me wonder if anyone else celebrates Earth Day and how?

The Superstar has decided to celebrate by cleaning her room (her idea but one I'm very fond of) but this time instead of just throwing everything in the laundry room or the garbage, she's sorting. She has a donation pile, a repurposing pile, a give away pile, and a very small garbage pile. Mr. Man is helping in a very 3 year old way by sitting on her bed and directing! Very cute!

Later we'll make some sugar cookies and some newspaper seedling pots for the garden.

So let me know what you're doing to celebrate or any tips and tricks for green crafts that you enjoy with your family. Happy Earth Day everyone!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Water, water everywhere!

Ok, so last year we had a crazy year for rain. We got more rain than most people could remember and lucky us, right at harvest too. When winter came and the ground froze up it was saturated with all that water. Then we got snow. Lots of snow. Not record breaking amounts or anything but enough that people thought this spring could be fun.

Enter spring...





As you can see, last night my mum-in-law and I went for a little drive to check out the flooding in our area. The above pictures are the Trans Canada Highway (we call it the #1) just south of town. The number 1 is the major highway connecting Canada. A staggering amount of people travel along it every day. There's a flagger out on the road but at least it's open. About 20 minutes East just in front of Wolseley the number 1 is closed. I wish I could show you the pictures they had on the evening news last night. Wow!

We also headed out to Katepwa Lake to see the water there and weren't disappointed. The ditches are so full they look like rivers and the Qu'Appelle River is so swollen. I keep thinking about my friend Sheryl and her farm just along the river.


 

My favorite pictures are these next ones though. These people have some nice land, and a cute little creek that winds down the coulee. It isn't cute anymore.



 

 


I hurt for these people because this looks so bad. It won't go away anytime soon, this is what the other side of highway 56 looks like...



Someone said there's about 60 feet worth of water there. Yup, fun times...

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Queue Review

taking a peek into my never ending queue...

photo by knittedblissJC


I love love this pattern that popped up in the new edition of Knitty! I love it so much it jumped to the top of my queue and I even ordered yarn for it! I'm all set to start knitting! I'm pretty excited because the snow is melting like crazy around here and I've been known to mutter "bring on summer" throughout the day...

Monday, April 11, 2011

Apple Pie and Blocking


I don't usually sit at home on Mondays' blogging but Mr. Man has a whopper of a cold and I get to miss the morning of work. It's a good thing, I can catch up on some housework and blogging.

We have family coming for supper tonight and my mum-in-law is doing all the work. I was put on pie detail and a good old apple pie with crumble topping is the perfect thing. I'll run out and pick up some caramel swirl ice cream or maybe maple walnut and that's dessert!

Too bad I didn't make the pie yesterday when I was blocking my Guernsey Wrap! That would have been the best reward for all that hard work!


I made this sign because there were pins everywhere, I should have said "under foot" but I think people got the point (har har)! I'm still trying to get the hang of using my blocking wires and this was a good lesson in stretching my knitting to the max. I felt like I was wrestling with the wires and the pins kept popping out or bending. I could have watched my measurements a bit more closely as well, at one point I was out half an inch but thankfully it doesn't really show.

I know the wrap doesn't look like much in the top picture but I unpinned it last night and holy smokes is it soft! And drapey! I love it! I'm hoping to get some decent FO shots this weekend and I'll do a proper post all about the pattern (fabulous) and the yarn.

Have a happy Monday!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Saturday At the Library

I starting making friendship bracelets when I was about 12 with embroidery floss. I used to pin them to my jeans and work on them everywhere. A few years later I learned how to make hemp necklaces. There was no going back! I formed an early and intense addiction to beads and I made piece after piece.



Fast forward many years and yesterday afternoon I taught a class at our local library on how to make these fun bracelets. I bought some hemp at Michael's and we had plastic pony beads. 6 girls ranging in ages from 7-12 came and they made 3 bracelets/necklaces each. I think they had a good time, I sure did!




Even the Superstar was there (although I've taught her how to do these knots a hundred times!).

Did you notice in the very first picture the yarn in the bottom left corner? I try to sneak fiber everywhere I go, and the library is no exception. I brought some acrylic stash yarn to teach the girls friendship bracelets because yarn is easier to learn on than embroidery floss plus it's almost instant gratification (being quite a bit larger than floss). If I was thinking I would have brought some needles along and taught them knitting! Maybe that can be a future class!

Afterwards the Superstar and I stopped at our local Ice Cream Parlour and indulged... It was a good afternoon.

Little Sheep Virtues

Happy Friday! I'm pretty excited to be sharing this cross stitch project with you all. Pattern: Little Sheep Virtues 1-12 by Litt...