The Urban Agrarian: January 2013

Bring on SPRING!

For those of you who don't know, I'm a total Pinterest ADDICT. My new inspiration is for the garden ~ of course!

I have a great many new but fairly simple plans;

Need to clean up under the deck, power wash etc so I can make a beautiful shady 'cabana.' I hope to paint the adirondak chairs a funky colour and hang some curtains for visual interest/sun screen. We took down some plain 'linen' curtains that hung in the bedroom and living room, and I've seen on Pinterest how to paint a funky pattern on them using a stencil and some fabric paint. All I need is the stencil and the paint!

Also hope to dig out a half circle of grass adjacent to under the deck, fill the hole with pea gravel and make a pretty spot for a fire pit. All I need is to hang our hammock and make an outdoor 'coffee table' from a pallet that again I'll paint or stain to make it funky!

Nick has found plans for a green house and he spent this weekend framing it up! YES people! After 12 years ~ he's finally handy! The frame looks GREAT! Just need to put some cedar planks around the bottom half (to keep kids and dogs from running through the dang plastic) and we'll plastic the top half ~ VOILA! I was SUPER proud!!! Next year we'll step it up a notch and purchase some corrigated plexi glass for the top. But one step at a time!

He's bought the wood needed to build the raised beds and on the next non rainy weekend he'll be out doing that! He's sore poor fellow but quite proud of this handy work!

I'm hoping to use the canoe was a garden feature too. Nick's Dad and Step Mum gave it to us years ago ~ but we never got the chance to use it and now with the kids I'm really too nervous too. .... Pinterest to the rescue!... Well sort of... I've been SO inspired by everyone that I got to thinking about the cabana etc that one thing led to another and PRESTO! ... How COOL would it be to use the canoe???? We could set it up to have both ends as gardenbeds but leave the centre so the kids could play in the 'boat.' Then I was chatting with my Mum and she suggested erecting a mast and putting up a 'sail' OMG! SOOOO exciting! Imagine ALL the wonderful memories they could make with a 'sailboat' in the yard?

Nick's handy work

My baby

LUNCH!

Just like daddy! Only he's sensible enough NOT to wear a bathing suit while working out doors in January

I also saw a great way to make a 'living teepee', using bamboo and sweet pea plants. Nick wants me to use cucumbers so that we keep with our 'edible landscape,' theme. So the kids would have a sailboat, a teepee, a slide, swings, a play house, a berry patch, a cabana, and a wadding pool. Now THAT sounds like some AWESOME childhood memories just WAITING to be made! ... And me, sitting in my 'cabana' in my neon coloured hammock with my book sipping sweet tea... YEP! Let's Get'er done!

New Years Company 2013!

Ruby's first ski trip! ... Met my sister and her brood at the top of Mount Washington on December 27th! Such fun! I though I would have more time with my nieces and nephews but they were all in private lessons and lunch is included. So Ruby and I tried her hand at skiing. She was a bit gun shy as she always is trying new things.... Eli was with my sister in the ski lodge and I in my gum boots with double wool socks on, sweating in the wonderful winter sun helped Ruby 'make a pizza!' with her skiis. By the end of the first two runs my back was killing me, but she appeared to be having fun!... Although the fun sort of started half way down the slope ~ when she realized she'd soon again be riding the 'magic carpet.' ... A large moving sidewalk covered in plexiglass that takes you back to the top of the hill.
We had a great time! I wish we could get back up there so Nick and I can ski and/or we take the kids sledding!

I think it was the 29th that our good friends the Nelson's came up to ring in the New Year with us... last year we were at their house but we ended up leaving early at 10 pm, because Nick and I were SOOOO sick! ... This year was our turn to host but the 4 of us barely made it to midnight as it was! Gosh I feel OLD! Kids and the dogs had a blast! We went swimming, I took down Christmas, we ate bacon wrapped pork tenderloin that Brian made us! It was relaxing and fun!

A 'girls' trip to Costco and we picked up some the necessary stuff to make 'fondue' for New Years Eve dinner. Kids didn't eat a bite, Brian ran out for chocolate and we stuffed ourselves stupid. By 9pm my stomach was starting to rebel! TOO much food! Too much cheese, chocolate and random delicious overindulgence! So we watched, "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" staring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Shue. Despite the name it is a funny movie.

Nelsons had to go home but it was AWESOME as always to see them!

Nick was off to work but my younger sister Chantelle and her hubby and my wee niece Evie arrived on the 4th! Again we just took it easy, it was awesome to see Evie walking about and trying to keep up with my two! ... At one point mine were running circles around the kitchen and Evie was desperate to be involved ~ but NOT get run over... so as they came to circle her she sat down! Then she'd get up just as they were heading up behind her again!!! Had us in stitches!

Poor Ruby got the croup, tis the third time she's had it. Had to take her to Emergency but the Doctor said he'd seen it 5 times already that night shift. So we came home at 7 am with a sick baby girl. I was hoping my niece hadn't picked it up ~ and to my knowledge she didn't. ... But the 4 Brady's sure had a go with it! It's caused by the 'Paro ~ Influenza Virus'.... Nick left for a week in Victoria the week Eli and I came down with it. I WASN'T impressed. I LITERALLY spent an entire week in my house, sick, with two sick little kids for 5 nights and 5 days in our pj's... and me NOTsleeping!

The night time was AWFUL, they tag teamed me, one up and one down. The other up and so on. And of course during the day I couldn't for the life of me get them to nap at the same time so I was UP. We survived ~ but just barely!

The holidays slowed me down. We ate too much, drank to much, got sick and my waistline expanded. Ug. Oh well, Back to the grindstone! Back on the bike, taking kids here there and everywhere. Have a plan for some new low cal recipes and some exercise videos. We shall see what happens... wish me luck!

I swear she actually enjoyed herself!

New Year's

Ruby and her back up singers

What's a concert without a srteaker?

Mini count down with the kids

Playing drums with cousin Evie!

Croup....I put them together hoping to get some sleep...it didn't work

Christmas 2012

Hi All! Sorry it's been a while! Life gets busy!!!

Christmas was AWESOME! We had a blast... but we were sure fatigued from it all! Twas the first time in my 29 years that I actually cooked a Christmas Dinner. As most of you know I literally learned to cook this past spring when Nick said to me, "the children have to eat more than tuna fish sandwiches Kate." ... *sigh* "Really?"

But I spent the better part of Christmas Eve in the kitchen prepping what I could. Nick ended up assembling most of it Christmas Day so I guess I'll give him 40% credit, ok we'll bump it up to 45% because he helped me clean up!

That week started out as an adventure! ~ As always Murphy's Law the washing machine had to choke and DIE December freakin 23! Thankfully Nick was able to get online figure out how to take the dang thing apart, find the problem and call the local appliance shop who just HAPPENED to have the correct part! So Christmas Eve while I was slaving away in the kitchen Nick was slaving away, cursing his way through muck to get the bloody machine fixed! And he did it for $38! I was SO proud!

We had a great time making ornaments, icing gingerbread cookies and generally having a lazy couple of days! I did make a GF gingerbread house but it should have been assembled the day after I baked it, it fell apart the second day and I was unable to put the pieces together ... so I let Ruby slather them with icing and eat them!

I was just about ready to flippin' BURN the advent calendars my wonderful Mother In Law made (and fills the pockets up every year) ... between birthday, advent calendars and Santa Ruby is one SPOILED little brat! Ugg. It was a trying month! But we've gotten through it!

With the washer machine broken we ended up ordering Chinese food (which happens to be a childhood family tradition of mine) and the four of us ate early. Then we bathed up the kids, put them in their new UBER cute matching jammies from their Great Aunty Colleen (thankyou) loaded them up and went out to look at the twinkly lights. Kids had a great time. I felt the magic!
Once home the work began, but we had fun assembling the toys!

My sister and her kids arrived on Christmas afternoon and brought with them appys.... and a one of my 9 year old nephews covered in car sick. YYYEEEWWW! Got him cleaned up and my own kids went WILD... Cousins = LIVE play things.

I had tried to get a hold of my folks ALL day to no avail. They had planned on spending Christmas at home (as my brother is single and they didn't want to leave him alone) having brunch with my bro and then heading up just after lunch. I finally got hold of them at 2:30 pm and they were surprised to hear that the highway was COVERED in a large dump of snow. Needless to say I was a bit perturbed and spent the next 4 hours a bit worried.

Dinner was on the table at 6 pm but they made it in the door at 5:58!

Dad was in rough shape from a gluten poisening somewhere along the line. So I convinced Mum and Dad to stay the night instead of heading the hour south to my sister's time share. It worked out for the best.

I think we stayed in our jammies for the entire day on Boxing Day! ... Well Nick got dressed briefly to go out and buy me this brand new Samsung Galaxy Tablet! Thanks Babe!!!

My folks too Ruby with them that afternoon for a sleep over with the cousins. The morning of the 27 we had plans to go skiing!!! It was an AWESOME Christmas week! ~ But next year can we just head to Mexico?