Favorite of the month

Well, here it is, the end of the month already! It seems that once the snow is gone, the days move so much more quickly and the time just disappears...

I was having a hard time deciding which picture to choose this month because I didn't want it to be yet another picture of my children - apparently I'm still not getting out much. But then I remembered that I got a new niece this month and I immediately knew my favorite from that batch of pictures.

Water, water everywhere

So I thought it would be rather remiss of me to not post about the flooding around here. I mean, I'm currently living on an island, which, being in the prairies is kind of rare.
Now that the drama is over and the water is receeding, I'll show you a few of the pics I took before I was unable to access any of the watery roads.

I think by the time the river crested, this sign only read "road".

This is a familiar site around here. There are boats and canoes docked all along the highway because people can't use their driveways or roads to their homes. Makes the commute a little bit longer.

This one here I took from the comfort of my own home. It's the new view from my back window. Beyond the fence and the trees and the top of the dike (the thing that looks like a big wall - for those of you who aren't familiar) is the river.

Jon & Jenna

Jon and Jenna were a referral from a couple whose wedding I'd done a few summers ago. It turned out that none of my assistants could assist me that day, so in addition to being our connection, the bride who did the referring also did the assisting. Fabulous!

I started the day with Jenna and her girls at the salon and then followed them to her parents' place where they all got ready. By the time they were dressed and ready to go, it was POURING outside. Not just a little rain, but a torrential downpour. We took a chance and headed to our outdoor location anyway where a security guard took pity on us and let us come inside the pavilion for some great shots in the tower. By the time we finished inside, the sun was coming out and it was beautiful again!

I had a great day with Jon and Jenna - they were so easy to work with and a lot of laughs.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Trouble

I have a weakness. (Wait..just one?) It's those little beauties down there. I hid them around the house for the boys on Sunday, but set a few aside for me and Jonny. Okay, okay, mostly for me.

I have a real soft spot for chocolate (what girl doesn't?), but especially for Lindt chocolate. It's just so creamy and melty and yummy.... oh, I think I hear it calling. Please excuse me.

My Jasmine

I am SO excited about this! (Go ahead and roll your eyes...)
You see, even though I enjoy gardening, I'm not really that good at it. And houseplants - well, houseplants and I do not have a very good relationship. Keeping them alive and healthy is a real challenge for me - killing them on the other hand, is easy.
Anyway, a few years ago, I received an assortment of plants in a basket and only one of the plants survived (surprise!). A Jasmine plant. It gave me the most beautiful flowers with such a lovely scent - I loved that plant! But, of course, it was living with me and so it didn't take long before it died. But I liked it so much that I asked Jonny to buy me another and I'm trying again.
Lo and behold, 3 months into this relationship and I have flowers. Not only this one, but 5 more on the way and 4 before it! That's like, 7 more than I got out of the last plant and in less than half the time. I think the key is regular watering.... Here's hoping!

April fools?

This was the scene outside my back window this morning. I wish it were a joke. Yes, snow is pretty and it looks lovely when it sticks to the trees and falls softly from the clouds - but it's not what I want to be seeing anymore. Please, let me see the big expanse of mud that is my yard under all that wet snow!

It was especially disappointing because it interferred with plans I'd made with a friend - one I haven't seen in a particularily long time. However, I made the best of the day and baked some cinnamon buns. And two lemon loaves. Started a pillow project, and, thanks to my slow cooker, made the most tender-fall apart pork roast I've ever made. (I'm so domestic! -ha!) So, no regrets.

(But I hope we don't get any more snow!)